Fibromyalgia in Children

Not long ago, fibromyalgia was considered an adult’s disease. However, children and teenagers are also found to have this condition, which may be called Juvenile Primary Fibromyalgia Syndrome (JPFS) in children under the age of 16.

Diagnosis for children can be complicated – as it often is for adults and often requires multiple trips to a variety of medical specialists before a diagnosis can be made. Changes in mood, activity levels, sleep, pain, and tenderness can all be symptoms seen in fibromyalgia in children. Adults who have been diagnoses with fibromyalgia usually report having tenderness in more than 11 pressure points (out of 18). However, in children, the tender points affected by fibromyalgia are fewer, usually 5-11.

Treating fibromyalgia in children generally has four key components: education, therapy, medication and exercise. Treating fibromyalgia is complicated in children, just as it is in adults. The specific treatments will be based your child’s symptoms, physical and social history and how he or she reacts to treatments. Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago often uses this regimen to treat children:

• anti-inflammatory medications (to relieve pain and improve sleep)
• pregabalin (or Lyrica® - approved by the FDA in 2007 to treat fibromyalgia)
• exercise and physical therapy (to stretch muscles and improve cardiovascular fitness)
• relaxation techniques
• heat treatments
• occasional cold applications
• massage
• short-term use of antidepressant medication at bedtime (to improve sleep and mood)

In addition, physicians often recommend having the child excused from gym class, as well as teaching the child a variety of methods to cope with stressful situations.