Causes of fibromyalgia

The cause of fibromyalgia is not known, but there are several theories. Fibromyalgia may develop following a bout of flu or other illness or after extreme physical or emotional stress. Some researchers believe that fibromyalgia results from minor, repeated trauma to the muscles that decreases blood flow to them and causes weakness and fatigue.

Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control America's Best Rheumatology Hospitals More from the Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Fibromyalgia-Related Clinical Trials Information Email this page Print this section

Another theory is that the sleep disturbance associated with fibromyalgia is the underlying cause of the syndrome. The deepest, restorative stage of sleep--delta-wave sleep--is somehow disrupted in people with fibromyalgia.

Other researchers suggest that an abnormality in the central nervous system is responsible. One possibility is a brain malfunction in the production or metabolism of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays an important role in some of the fibromyalgia symptoms relating to pain, mood, and sleep. Low blood pressure is currently under investigation as another potential cause of the symptoms of fibromyalgia.