Patterns of Cardiovascular Reactivity and Electrocardiographic QT Intervals Distinguish Fibromyalgia from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome pp. 143-164
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Authors: J. Naschitz and G. Slobodin et al., Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
Abstract: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a clinical syndrome characterized by widespread pain and abnormal sensitivity on palpation of specific tender points [1]. The pathogenesis of FM has been elusive, made difficult by the absence of distinctive biochemical or histological abnormalities. There is much debate and controversy about this condition. On the one side are those who deny the existence of fibromyalgia as a nosologic entity and consider it an artificial summation of unrelated symptoms [2, 3]. A consequence of the view that FM is but an expression of low self-esteem and unhappiness may to change our approach to this condition and deal with these patients in psychological and sociological terms. On the other side are clinicians and researchers who define fibromyalgia as a distinct clinico-pathologic disorder and suggest that it is a genetically based disease with autosomal-dominant transmission [4]. Much of the evidence that FM is the projection of an underlying physiologic disturbance relates to studies describing autonomic system dysfunction in FM patients [5-13].
