J Autoimmun. 2006 Oct 27; [Epub ahead of print]

Fibromyalgia, infection and vaccination: Two more parts in the etiological puzzle.

Ablin JN, Shoenfeld Y, Buskila D. Department of Rheumatology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 6 Weizman St., 64239 Tel-Aviv, Israel.

As the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia continues to raise debate, multiple putative triggers have been implicated. The current review summarizes the available data linking fibromyalgia to either infection or vaccination. Multiple infectious agents have been associated with the development of either full-blown fibromyalgia (e.g. hepatits C), or with symptom complexes extensively overlapping with that syndrome (e.g. chronic Lyme disease). The cases of Lyme disease, mycoplasma, hepatits C and HIV are detailed. Despite the described associations, no evidence is available demonstrating the utility of antibiotic or anti-viral treatment in the management of fibromyalgia. Possible mechanistic links between fibromyalgia and HIV are reviewed. Associations have been described between various vaccinations and symptom complexes including fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. The case of Gulf War syndrome, a functional multisystem entity sharing many clinical characteristics with fibromyalgia is discussed, with emphasis on the possibility of association with administration of multiple vaccinations during deployment in the Persian Gulf and the interaction with stress and trauma. Based on this example a model is proposed, wherein vaccinations function as co-triggers for the development of functional disorders including fibromyalgia, in conjunction with additional contributing factors.

PMID: 17071055 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/hide comments

Show/hide comment form

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment