Fibromyalgia Will Be Diagnosed by Blood Test

Researchers in a new study have found a way to accurately diagnose fibromyalgia and differentiate it from other similar pathological conditions. By using blood samples from patients and innovative techniques, they discovered a unique "molecular fingerprint" characteristic only to this disease.

Fibromyalgia is an incurable chronic condition affecting 2% to 8% of the world's population. In America alone, about eight million people live with this diagnosis. The overwhelming majority of them are women.

The main characteristic of fibromyalgia is chronic pain: sometimes the whole body hurts, and sometimes the pain migrates from one area to another. Often, the pain is so severe that it negatively impacts the quality of life. Even the simplest tasks become overwhelming for such individuals. Along with pain, many experience a wide range of other symptoms that often resemble manifestations of other diseases.

The fact that the signs of fibromyalgia coincide with the symptoms of other pathologies significantly complicates the task for doctors in diagnosing it. Often, people with this condition are led to believe that it is all in their head, hinting at a neuro-psychological disorder.

However, in a recent study, researchers may have found a way to correct the situation. They managed to detect "traces" of fibromyalgia in blood samples and differentiate it from other similar diseases. The results of their experiment were presented by researchers led by Kevin Hackshaw, a professor at the medical college of Ohio University and a rheumatologist at the university clinic, in an article published in a recent issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The Test Will Be Ready in Five Years

The study included 50 individuals with an official diagnosis of "fibromyalgia," 29 individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, 19 with osteoarthritis, and 23 with lupus. All these diseases often develop alongside fibromyalgia.

Researchers analyzed blood samples taken from participants using vibrational, or infrared, spectroscopy, which assesses chemical bonds and the energy level of molecules. As a result, they identified unique patterns that distinguished samples from patients with fibromyalgia from those with similar disorders. Moreover, further measurements using spectrometry helped researchers accurately determine the diagnoses of participants based on their characteristic molecular patterns.

Researchers compare these unique molecular signatures to "metabolic fingerprints" and assure that the results they obtained will help develop more targeted treatment methods for fibromyalgia in the near future. "We found very clear, reproducible metabolic patterns in blood samples from dozens of patients with fibromyalgia. This brings us closer to creating a blood test for identifying this disease," says Professor Kevin Hackshaw.

Researchers expect that the test will be ready for use within five years. They plan to repeat the study in groups of 150–200 individuals with each diagnosis to see if they can confirm the results obtained with a larger population sample. Further research should also help identify specific proteins responsible for the characteristic symptoms of fibromyalgia. "We will be able to study some of these 'fingerprints' in more detail and possibly identify certain chemicals that define the differences between all these diseases," says the professor.

The Importance of Accurate Diagnosis

The head of the research team emphasizes the importance of accurate diagnosis for people with fibromyalgia, especially considering that some doctors still do not believe it is a real disease. "Most doctors do not doubt the reality of this diagnosis, but there are those who still view it skeptically," says Professor Hackshaw. Additionally, some doctors prescribe opioid medications to patients with fibromyalgia, which can worsen their condition and lead to dependency.

"The preliminary results are very impressive. If we can accelerate diagnosis for such patients, they will be able to receive more effective treatment, and with it – a good prognosis. There is nothing worse than uncertainty when you do not know what disease you have," researchers note.

Furthermore, the results of the new study show that metabolic fingerprints may provide insight into the severity of the disease in a specific patient, which in turn will allow doctors to prescribe more targeted, effective treatment.