Do you know the difference between Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome? While both conditions look similar at first glance, there are significant differences that make treatment and management different. Learn the difference between fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome in this article. Visit the best Pain Management Clinic in Brooklyn at Doral Health & Wellness or log on to www.doralhw.org.
Similar symptoms
Fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) often cause overlapping symptoms, such as:
- Fatigue: Both conditions lead to debilitating fatigue, which significantly impacts your everyday activities.
- Pain: You may experience widespread pain with both conditions, but it may appear different.
- Sleep disturbances: Both conditions make it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, or get proper sleep.
- Cognitive Dysfunction: You may experience difficulty in concentration, memory, and thinking clearly. These shared symptoms are also known as brain fog.
While these symptoms are similar, there are many differences in other symptoms and duration.
Key differences
While fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome cause similar symptoms, there are many differences between them.
Causes
Neither CFS nor FM has a clear cause, but for many people, several different factors can trigger the condition. For example, someone may have a genetic predisposition that causes an imbalance in the body, such as an immune system or digestive tract issue. It can be due to any event such as physical trauma, infection, surgery, or any significant stress. However, in some cases, not a single event or symptom progresses over time. Similarly, CFS is also caused by viral infections, such as glandular fever, herpes viruses, chickenpox, shingles, hepatitis, or meningitis. COVID may also cause CFS and many of the long-COVID symptoms. For some people, FM/CFS occurs from different infections or diseases, such as salmonella, tuberculosis, Lyme disease, or occasionally an injury or accident.
But CFS hardly triggers a stressful life event or emotional trauma, which is the opposite of FM. It gets triggered with infection, but also with pain after a traumatic event. It can be physical trauma, such as an accident or surgery, or emotional events, such as bereavement. For some people, the start of their symptoms is related to pregnancy or childbirth, which involves both physical and emotional elements. While you are happy for your child, it also brings a lot of life changes and stress.
Symptoms
Besides similar symptoms, some symptoms are different between these conditions:
Common symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Widespread musculoskeletal pain or tenderness
- Fatigue, especially when waking, during the mid-afternoon, and not doing anything
- Dry eyes
- Breathlessness
- Irregular heartbeat
- Numbness and tingling sensations in the hands and feet
- Sleep disturbances
- Sensory sensitivity
Common chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms are:
- Lower functional ability, along with fatigue that lasts 6 months or longer
- Cognitive impairment
- Post-exertional malaise (PEM)
- Breathlessness
- Allergies
- Gastrointestinal distress
- Chronic sore throat
- Night sweats
- Lymph node tenderness
Diagnosis
There is no direct test to diagnose these conditions, but you receive a diagnosis based on the presentation of your symptoms and if there are no other conditions, that could be the reason behind it. To rule out the cause, the doctor may order a series of tests, including:
- Blood tests
- Urine tests
- Imaging tests
- Psychological evaluations
- Neurological tests
- Sleep studies
To diagnose FM or CFS, doctors use medical criteria that are based on the American College of Rheumatology’s criteria, such as:
- The widespread pain index (WPI) should be at least 7, with a symptom severity of 5, or WPI between 3 and 6, with a symptom severity of at least 9.
- Symptoms should last at least 3 months.
- No other disorder accounts for the symptoms.
For CFS, you receive the latest diagnostic criteria from the National Academy of Medicine, which includes:
- Symptoms have been present for more than 6 months
- Symptoms are moderate to severe around 50% of the time
- Post-exertional malaise
- Functional impairment along with fatigue, which is unrelated to exertion and does not get better with rest
- Unrefreshing sleep
- Presence of cognitive impairment
Treatment
There is no single treatment used to treat FM and CFS. Different treatment options are used to manage both conditions’ symptoms. To manage pain, different medications such as antidepressants, anti-inflammatories, anticonvulsants, and sleep aids, along with psychotherapy and complementary therapies like yoga, acupuncture, etc., are recommended. For fibromyalgia, neuromodulation procedures like transcranial stimulation can be beneficial.
For CFS treatment, focus on treating infections or managing risk factors of heart problems, like blood pressure. It includes corticosteroid therapy, antiviral therapy, immunotherapy, and microbiome-targeted treatments like fecal microbiota transplants. Other treatment options like physical therapy with exercises can be used to improve strength, flexibility, along stamina, especially water-based exercises. Tracking your activity and making lifestyle changes are also helpful.
While fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are quite similar, the above-mentioned key differences clearly show how they are different, which impacts their diagnosis and treatment. These differences impact how to manage these conditions in the long run.
For more help with FM or CFS, visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!! If you’re ready to take the next step in managing your pain, we recommend consulting with our healthcare provider to explore the right treatments or therapies for you. Always listen to your body and adjust your daily routine to prioritize your well-being. Visit Doral Health & Wellness Pain Relief Department in Brooklyn, to get professional help and guidance on how to manage your problem. Call us on + 1-718-367-2555 to get a consultation. If you need help learning coping methods, register your information and make direct contact with our doctors at https://yuz88hfiyh7.typeform.com/Doralintake. Log on to www.doralhw.org. Or visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212.
