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COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the first time, researchers have evidence that fibromyalgia can be reliably detected in blood samples. They hope that this work will pave the way for a quick and simple diagnosis.
In a study that appears in the Journal of biological chemistryResearchers at Ohio State University have reported identifying biomarkers of fibromyalgia and differentiating them from a handful of other related diseases.
This discovery could be an important turning point in the care of patients with a frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed condition, leaving them with no proper care or guidance to manage their chronic pain and fatigue, said principal investigator Kevin Hackshaw. Ohio State College professor of Medicine and Rheumatologist at the Wexner Medical Center of the University.
The identification of biomarkers of the disease – a "metabolic footprint" like that found in the new study – could also pave the way for targeted treatments, he said.
To diagnose fibromyalgia, physicians are now relying on information provided by patients regarding a multitude of symptoms and on a physical badessment of a patient's pain, focusing on specific sensitive points, he said. declared. But there is no blood test – no precise tool, easy to use, to give a quick answer.
"We have found clear reproducible metabolic patterns in the blood of dozens of fibromyalgia patients, which brings us much closer to a blood test than we have ever been," said Hackshaw.
Although fibromyalgia is currently incurable and treatment is limited to exercise, education and anti-depressants, accurate diagnosis has many benefits, Hackshaw said. These include the elimination of other diseases, the confirmation to patients that their symptoms are real and not imaginary, and the referral of doctors to the recognition of the disease and the appropriate treatment.
"Today, most doctors do not ask if fibromyalgia is real, but there are always skeptics," Hackshaw said.
And many undiagnosed patients are prescribed opioids, powerful and addictive painkillers that have not been shown to be beneficial for people with the disease, he said.
"In chronic pain clinics, about 40% of opioid patients meet the diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia.Fibromyalgia often worsens with opioids and certainly does not improve."
Hackshaw and co-author Luis Rodriguez-Saona, an expert in the advanced test method used in the study, said the next step was a larger-scale clinical trial to determine whether the success of this research could be replicated.
The current study included 50 people diagnosed with fibromyalgia, 29 with rheumatoid arthritis, 19 with osteoarthritis and 23 with lupus.
The researchers examined each participant's blood samples using a technique called vibrational spectroscopy, which measures the energy level of the molecules in the sample. Scientists at the Rodriguez-Saona laboratory have detected clear patterns that systematically differentiate blood sample results from patients with fibromyalgia from those with other similar disorders.
First, the researchers badyzed blood samples from participants whose pathological status they knew, so that they could develop a basic pattern for each diagnosis. Then, using two types of spectroscopy, they evaluated the remainder of the samples blindly, without knowing the participants' diagnosis, and accurately categorized each study participant into the appropriate disease category according to a molecular signature.
"These first results are remarkable: if we can help speed up the diagnosis in these patients, their treatment will be better and their prospects will be better.There's nothing worse than being in a gray zone where you do not know what illness you have. " , "Said Rodriguez-Saona.
His laboratory is primarily interested in the use of metabolic fingerprint technology for food research, focusing on issues such as adulteration of milk and milk products. cooking oils and badisting agricultural businesses to identify the best plants for disease control.
The opportunity to work in partnership with medical experts to help solve the problem of misdiagnosis of fibromyalgia was exciting, said Rodriguez-Saona, professor of food science and technology at Ohio State.
Rodriguez-Saona said that in the next study, he would like to examine 150 to 200 subjects per group of diseases to see if the results of this research can be replicated in a larger and more diverse population.
Hackshaw said his goal is to have a test ready to be used on a large scale within the next five years.
Fibromyalgia is the most common cause of chronic generalized pain in the United States and disproportionately affects women. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 2% of the population – about 4 million adults – have fibromyalgia. Other organizations estimate even higher numbers.
According to previous research, about three in four people with fibromyalgia have not been specifically diagnosed. Those who know that they have had an average wait of five years between the onset of symptoms and the diagnosis. Common symptoms include pain and stiffness throughout the body, fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, headaches and problems with thinking, memory and concentration.
Ultimately, this work could lead to the identification of a protein or an acid – or a combination of molecules – related to fibromyalgia, explained Rodriguez-Saona.
"We can look back in some of these fingerprints and possibly identify some of the chemicals badociated with the differences we're seeing," he said.
In addition to identifying fibromyalgia, the researchers also highlighted the fact that the technique of metabolic fingerprinting could determine the severity of fibromyalgia in a given patient.
"This could lead to better, more directed treatment of patients," said Hackshaw.
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Didem Aykas, Gregory Sigurdson, Marcal Plans Pujolras, Francesca Madiai, Lianbo Yu and Monica Giusti also participated in the study. Tony Buffington, formerly of the Ohio State and now at the University of California at Davis, was also co-author.
The research was funded in part by the Columbus Medical Research Foundation.
** Video and photos available for download: http: // bit.
Media Contact: Eileen Scahill, 614-293-3737; [email protected]
Written by Misti Crane, 614-292-5220; [email protected]
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