Could an experimental blood test be the solution?

For the first time, researchers have evidence that the detection of fibromyalgia can be performed reliably with the help of an experimental blood test. Could this pave the way for a quick and easy diagnosis?

In a study that appears in the Journal of biological chemistry, researchers at Ohio State University in the United States report success in identifying fibromyalgia biomarkers and differentiating them from a handful of other related diseases. Using an experimental blood test, the researchers discovered that the detection of fibromyalgia was perhaps more feasible than previously thought.

A turning point in the detection of fibromyalgia

This discovery could be an important turning point in the management of patients with a frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed condition, leaving them without the care and guidance needed to manage their chronic pain and fatigue.

With respect to the detection of fibromyalgia, physicians now rely 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. But there is no blood test – no precise tool, easy to use, to give a quick answer.

Kevin Hackshaw, senior scientist, professor at the Ohio State Medical College and rheumatologist at the University's Wexner Medical Center, USA, explains, "We found reproducible and clear metabolic patterns in the blood of dozens of patients with fibromyalgia. This brings us much closer to a blood test than ever before. "

Although fibromyalgia is currently incurable and treatment is limited to exercise, education and antidepressants, accurate diagnosis has many benefits, according to Hackshaw.

Experimental blood test

The current study included 50 people diagnosed with fibromyalgia, 29 with rheumatoid arthritis, 19 with osteoarthritis and 23 with lupus.

Using a technique called vibratory spectroscopy, the researchers examined blood samples from each participant. Spectroscopy measures the energy level of the molecules within the sample.

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 rest of the samples blindly, without knowing the participants' diagnoses, and accurately categorized each study participant into the appropriate disease category based on 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 they will probably have better prospects. There is nothing worse than being in a gray area where you do not know what illness you have, "said co-author Luis Rodriguez-Saona.

Could the experimental blood test make it easier to detect fibromyalgia?

According to Rodriguez-Saona, this work could eventually lead to the identification of a protein or an acid – or a combination of molecules – related to fibromyalgia.

"We can go back over some of these fingerprints and possibly identify some of the chemicals badociated with the differences," he said.

"This could lead to better, more patient treatment," concludes Hackshaw.