Diagnosing fibromyalgia is difficult, because it is not the result of examining an X-ray or a definitive blood test?what are known as "objective markers". Furthermore there are so many associated symptoms that doctors may try to rule out other conditions before reaching a fibromyalgia diagnosis. For this reason, it is not uncommon for fibromyalgia sufferers to see a number of doctors before such a diagnosis is made.
In short, there is no easy, fool-proof method of determining whether or not a patient has fibromyalgia.
Instead, a physician interviews the patient to determine how long they have been suffering from pain, then begins an examination of 18 sites on the body.
In 1990 the American College of Rheumatology presented the following criteria for classifying fibromyalgia, both of which need to be met in order to a patient to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Those two criteria are:
- A history of widespread pain.
- Pain in at least eleven of eighteen sites on the body This means that a physician is applying pressure with his or her hands to various parts of your body to determine your pain levels.
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