Fibromyalgia: The gastrointestinal link
Abstract
Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) frequently have gastrointestinal symptoms and signs. This article critically reviews the available literature and concludes the following: evidence that inflammatory bowel disease is associated with FM is contradictory, but should be looked for in patients taking concomitant steroids; patients diagnosed with celiac disease often have a history of FM or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) that may or may not be present; reflux, nonulcer dyspepsia, and noncardiac chest pain are common in FM patients; medications used to manage pain, inflammation, and gastrointestinal complaints confound the management of FM; and IBS affects smooth muscles and the parasympathetic nervous system, while FM patients have complaints of striated muscles and dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system. Of those patients with FM, 30% to 70% have concurrent IBS. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is associated with hyperalgesia and IBS-like complaints, is common in FM, and responds transiently to antimicrobial therapy.
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Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is associated with fibromyalgia and restless legs syndrome.
“SIBO is associated with fibromyalgia40 and restless legs syndrome (RLS),41”
From The Gut Microbiome and the Brain (2014) · cites this paper as [40]
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The Gut Microbiome and the Brain
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“Chronic and diffuse pain seems to be the core symptom of FMS, is associated with a high sensitivity to touch, a lowering of pain threshold, headache, gastrointestinal disorders and severe fatigue (Wallace and Hallegua, 2004; Marcus et al., 2005; Russell and Raphael, 2008; Wolfe and Häuser, 2011; Giamberardino et al.,…”
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- Authors
- Wallace, D. J., & Hallegua, D. S.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- ORCID
- Wallace, Daniel J.
- Venue
- Current Pain and Headache Reports
- Published
- 2004-10
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 364-368
- ISSN
- 1531-3433 (ISSN-L)
- 1534-3081
- OpenAlex
- W1964126585
- Cited by
- 66
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 0.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Pain and Headache Reports (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Keywords
- fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal symptoms, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, gastroesophageal reflux, functional dyspepsia, non-cardiac chest pain, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, hyperalgesia, sympathetic dysfunction, parasympathetic nervous system, corticosteroid use
- MeSH terms
- Anti-Infective Agents, Dyspepsia, Fibromyalgia, Gastroesophageal Reflux, Humans, Prevalence, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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