How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?
People with FM often see many doctors before being diagnosed. One reason for this may be that pain and fatigue, the main symptoms of FM, also are symptoms of many other conditions. Therefore, doctors often must rule out other possible causes of these symptoms before making a diagnosis of FM. FM cannot be detected by a lab test either. A doctor who knows about FM, however, can make a diagnosis based upon two criteria: A history of widespread pain lasting more than 3 months. Pain must be present in both the right and left sides of the body as well as above and below the waist. Presence of tender points. The body has 18 sites that are possible tender points. For FM diagnosis a person must have 11 or more tender points. To be deemed a tender point, pain must be felt when pressure is applied to the site. People who have FM may feel pain at other sites, too, but those 18 sites on the body are used for diagnosis. The previous criteria were developed for use to standardize research studies and
