Fibro

Fibro

Fibromyalgia And Myofascial Pain Syndrome Share Nervous Share Peptidergic
Hyperactivity

Journal of Rheumatology

12/14/2000
By Veronica Rose


Peripheral hyperactivity has been found in the peptidergic nervous system of
patients with fibromyalgia or with myofascial pain syndrome.

This supports the notion of pathogenic involvement of the afferent nervous
system in the development and perception of myofascial pain.

A neurotransmitter known as substance P (SP) and stored within the afferent
nociceptive fibres is possibly involved in the pathogenesis of
musculoskeletal pain.

Researchers used immunochemistry to investigate SP immunoreactive (SP-ir) in
nerve fibres in the upper trapezius of patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and
myofascial pain syndrome (MPS).

Participants included 27 women subdivided into three categories. Trapezius
muscle was obtained from the tender points of nine women with primary
fibromyalgia, from the trigger points of nine patients with regional
myofascial pain and from nine female controls.

The muscle was immunostained with anti-SP sera, and quantitative evaluation
was undertaken by computerised image analysis.

There were no significant differences detected between groups, in the number
of SP-ir areas. Contrastingly, mean optical density of SP-ir exhibited a
significant difference comparing the groups. Mean optical density (OD) of
the immunostaining for SP was statistically higher in the trapezius muscle
of patients with MPS by comparison with specimens from patients with
fibromyalgia and controls.

The mean optical density of immunostaining for SP was also greater in FM
specimens than in controls.


The Journal of Rheumatology. 2000 Vol 27 pp 2906-2910. "Image Analysis
Quantification of Substance P Immunoreactivity in the Trapezius Muscle of
Patients with Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome"

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