American Criteria For Diagnosis
The American Criteria for Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia was updated in 2010 to take into account the new information, advances, and developments that had been founded.
Upon presenting your symptoms to your Doctor, Fibromyalgia may be suspected. After a history, a brief physical (although tenderness to pressure is no longer needed for diagnosis it can rule out other possibilites that could be causing the pain), your Doctor will then decide if any additional testing should be done. Although there is not a diagnostic test that can confirm Fibromyalgia, there are tests that can exclude other conditions, syndromes, or diseases that present similarly to Fibromyalgia.
Should other options be ruled out, and you meet the following criteria;
Criteria Needed for a Fibromyalgia Diagnosis
1. Pain and symptoms over the past week, based on the total of:
Number of painful areas out of 18 parts of the body
Plus level of severity of these symptoms:
Plus number of other general physical symptoms
2. Symptoms lasting at least three months at a similar level
3. No other health problem that would explain the pain and other
symptoms
Source:
American College of Rheumatology, 2010
If you have met the above mentioned criteria, you may be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
Although diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, speak with your Doctor about options to decrease pain, improve quality of life for the long term.
Upon presenting your symptoms to your Doctor, Fibromyalgia may be suspected. After a history, a brief physical (although tenderness to pressure is no longer needed for diagnosis it can rule out other possibilites that could be causing the pain), your Doctor will then decide if any additional testing should be done. Although there is not a diagnostic test that can confirm Fibromyalgia, there are tests that can exclude other conditions, syndromes, or diseases that present similarly to Fibromyalgia.
Should other options be ruled out, and you meet the following criteria;
Criteria Needed for a Fibromyalgia Diagnosis
1. Pain and symptoms over the past week, based on the total of:
Number of painful areas out of 18 parts of the body
Plus level of severity of these symptoms:
Plus number of other general physical symptoms
2. Symptoms lasting at least three months at a similar level
3. No other health problem that would explain the pain and other
symptoms
Source:
American College of Rheumatology, 2010
If you have met the above mentioned criteria, you may be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
Although diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, speak with your Doctor about options to decrease pain, improve quality of life for the long term.