Fibromyalgia accurately spotted in an experimental blood test: study

Washington D.C.: In a first, researchers have found that fibromyalgia can reliably be detected in blood samples which could possibly lead to a simple and fast diagnosis. In the study that appears in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, researchers from The Ohio State University report success in identifying biomarkers of fibromyalgia and differentiating these from a handful of other related diseases. The discovery could be an important turning point in care of patients with a disease that is frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, leaving them without proper care and advice on managing their chronic pain and fatigue, said lead researcher Kevin Hackshaw, a professor in Ohio State's College of Medicine and a rheumatologist at the university's Wexner Medical Center. Identification of biomarkers of the disease a "metabolic fingerprint" like that discovered in the new study could also open up the possibility of targeted treatments, he said. To diagnose fibromyalgia, doctors now rely on patient-reported information about a multitude of symptoms and a physical evaluation of a patient's pain, focusing on specific tender points, he said. However, there is no blood test - no clear-cut, easy-to-use tool to provide a quick answer.