Is the existence of Fibromyalgia recognized by the medical community ?

Today some physicians do not recognize the existence of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). This is in part due to the fact that fibromyalgia was initially thought to be caused by inflammation of the myofascia, a membranous tissue that binds the muscles together. When more sophisticated microscopes showed no actual inflammation in the muscles or connective tissues, many doctors concluded that fibrositis did not exist.

Some physicians still think of fibromyalgia as a diagnosis used for patients with chronic pain for which all the tests were normal and no disease was found. Today, the average amount of time that passes before a diagnosis of fibromyalgia is made is still 4 to 5 years. However, the number of doctors subscribing to this belief has greatly diminished. In 1992, the Second International Myofascial Pain and Fibromyalgia Symposium held in Copenhagen, Denmark, issued the Copenhagen Declaration, officially recognizing the existence of fibromyalgia. Today fibromyalgia is listed as a diagnosis in the Universal CPT codings of medical diagnoses.

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