mechanoreceptors in people with fibromyalgia also responded more often to cold compared to healthy, pain-free individuals. They believe that these changes, caused by antibodies, are responsible for the sensory abnormalities that people with fibromyalgia experience.
Mathilde Israel added: “Our research argues against the commonly held belief that symptoms in fibromyalgia are caused by changes in the brain, providing evidence that the cause of the disease lies in the immune system.
“At this stage, we cannot say exactly what the difference between the antibodies of healthy participants and fibromyalgia patients are, just that they are different. Exactly what underlies the change to antibodies also remains unknown.”
Further research into these specific antibody changes might help to devise diagnostic tests and targeted drug treatment.
Professor Lucy Donaldson, Director of Research at Versus Arthritis, added: “We are very proud to be funding research such as this that will make a real difference to the millions of people living with fibromyalgia and chronic pain. We can only start to tackle the impact of chronic pain experienced by people living with conditions like fibromyalgia, through better understanding of how changes in nerves lead to altered sensations that make life so difficult for them.
“This study also shows just how important it is to work with, and listen to people with lived experience of pain, to make sure we’re asking and answering the right questions. By listening to peoples’ experiences, the researchers could better target their work to understand how antibodies produced against our own tissues might lead to unpleasant sensory changes like tingling, pins and needles, and sensitivity to cold temperatures in fibromyalgia. This research gives us important clues about the underlying causes of, and possible future treatments for fibromyalgia.”
