Who gets Fibromylagia ?

Fibromyalgia occurs in about 2 to 5 percent of the population, and is diagnosed 10 times more frequently in women than men. Around 90 percent of those diagnosed with fibromyalgia are women age 40 to 50 or older. However, some researchers think fibromyalgia is underdiagnosed in men.

FMS usually causes symptoms that begin between ages 25 and 45, but children can also have fibromyalgia. In fact, physicians have identified FMS developing in toddlers, and some researchers believe that the first trigger points of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), a disorder commonly coexisting with FMS, may cause severe colic symptoms in some infants.

In addition, a traumatic physical injury, such as an automobile accident, or an extremely traumatic emotional event, has been known to cause the onset of fibromyalgia. However, the vast majority of FMS patients, around 80 percent, are unable to identify a trigger event that initiated the first obvious “flare” of the syndrome. In addition, there may be a genetic tendency in some individuals to develop the syndrome; fibromyalgia tends to run in families.

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