Does FM run in families)?
The role of genes in fibromyalgia and related conditions has been the subject of vigorous debate and controversy since the late 1980s. In those years, Dr. Muhammad B. Yunus of the University of Illinois College of Medicine conducted a study of 40 fibromyalgia patients and their families to determine the genetic basis of the illness. Of the families of the 40 fibromyalgia patients, 74% of siblings, 53% of children and 42% of parents had fibromyalgia. Notably, Yunus found a connection between the genetic marker, human leukocyte antigen (HLA), and the development of fibromyalgia. HLA, a protein found in your body’s cells, is used by the immune system to recognize familiar cells and reject foreign cells. Although people inherit this protein from their parents, its presence does not necessarily indicate a person will develop fibromyalgia. It has since been hypothesized that several genes are working together to create fibromyalgia in certain people. It has long been known that chronic physi
