Fibromyalgia Test

There is not one definitive test that can correctly identify whether or not a patient has fibromyalgia. That means someone with fibromyalgia symptoms can spend months, if not years, running from physician to physician, getting a multitude of tests before a correct diagnosis is made.

When you see a health care provider, he or she may ask you a series of questions that are designed to screen for a variety of potential problems. While the results of the screening may point toward fibromyalgia, it is not enough evidence to make a diagnosis.

Physicians can, however, make a fibromyalgia diagnosis based on two criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology: the patient must have had a history of widespread pain lasting more than three months and the presence of tender points. To be considered widespread, pain must affects all four quadrants of the body. In other words, you must have pain in both your right and left sides as well as above and below the waist to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

According to the American College of Rheumatology, an area can be considered a tender point when a patient feels pain when four kilograms of pressure is applied to the area. The agency has also designated 18 sites on the body as possible tender points. For a fibromyalgia diagnosis, a person must have 11 or more tender points in those specific areas. A person with fibromyalgia may have pain in additional areas, but 11 of the tender points must be in the designated 18 sites.

Although there are no fibromyalgia tests, a health care provider may want to perform other tests to rule out other problems. Blood tests may be run, including a CBC (complete blood count) or a BMP (basic metabolic panel). Other tests may include thyroid, cholesterol and liver and kidney functioning. There are two blood tests that may be run, including a red blood cell sedimentation rate which provides a rough index of inflammation in the body and an anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) test, which is used to rule out lupus.

An x-ray may be ordered to rule out possible problems such as arthritis; however fibromyalgia will not show up on an x-ray. Hair analysis tests are not routinely performed, are not covered by most health insurances, and are not widely accepted as evidence of fibromyalgia.