Are Arthritis and Fibromyalgia Connected?
DAVID MARKS, MD: Hi and welcome to our webcast. I’m Dr. David Marks. Thank you all for sending in your questions about arthritis. We’re going to try to answer them today. Joining me to do that is Dr. Allan Gibofsky, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Cornell, and a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Thanks for helping us out. The question is from Evelyn Barr. It’s about fibromyalgia. “How is fibromyalgia and arthritis connected, and how can they be treated together?” ALLAN GIBOFSKY, MD: There are a hundred different forms of arthritis, and fibromyalgia is a form of arthritis. Fibromyalgia refers to “achy-ness” of the fibrous tissue of the body. Because the term arthritis is used to refer to aches and pains, fibromyalgia is considered one of the arthritis conditions.
DAVID MARKS, MD: Hi and welcome to our webcast. I’m Dr. David Marks. Thank you all for sending in your questions about arthritis. We’re going to try to answer them today. Joining me to do that is Dr. Allan Gibofsky, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Cornell, and a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Thanks for helping us out. The question is from Evelyn Barr. It’s about fibromyalgia. “How is fibromyalgia and arthritis connected, and how can they be treated together?” ALLAN GIBOFSKY, MD: There are a hundred different forms of arthritis, and fibromyalgia is a form of arthritis. Fibromyalgia refers to “achy-ness” of the fibrous tissue of the body. Because the term arthritis is used to refer to aches and pains, fibromyalgia is considered one of the arthritis conditions. We don’t really know what causes fibromyalgia. We’re just beginning to learn more about its chemical effects in the body and certain kinds of treatment that may work. But just as every patient with
