Is fibromyalgia a generalized reflex sympathetic dystrophy ?

M. Martínez-Lavín

Rheumatology Department, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez,  México D.F. Mexico.

ABSTRACT
Fibromyalgia and reflex sympathetic dystrophy share defining characteristics, namely chronic pain and allodynia, as well as other important clinical features such as onset after trauma, female predominance, paresthesias, vasomotor instability, response to sympathetic blockade and anxiety/depression. Recent research using heart rate variability analysis demonstrated that patients with fibromyalgia have changes consistent with relentless circadian sympathetic hyperactivity.
I propose that fibromyalgia is a sympathetically maintained pain syndrome in which ongoing sympathetic hyperactivity sensitises the primary nociceptors and induces widespread pain and allodynia.

Key words
Fibromyalgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, sympathetically maintained pain, heart rate variability, pain, allodynia.

Please address correspondence and reprint requests to: Manuel Martínez-Lavín, MD, Chief, Rheumatology Department, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Juan Badiano no. 1, 14080 México D.F. Mexico.
E-mail: mmlavin@infosel.net.mx 

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2001; 19: 1-3.
© Copyright Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 2001.