Fibromyalgia syndrome: New developments in pathophysiology and management

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common, chronically painful condition that is still seeking a home among clinical professions. It is characterized by moderately severe soft-tissue pain and allodynia, which suggests a role for one group of specialists; however, its pathogenesis is in the nociceptive machinery of the central nervous system, which defines the territory of other specialties. Comorbidities, such as insomnia, cognitive dysfunction, depression, anxiety, recurrent headaches, dizziness, fatigue, morning stiffness, dysesthesia, irritable bowel syndrome, and irritable urethra logically invoke input from practitioners within almost every field of medicine.