Mumbai: In the past few months when the city struggles with a second wave of Covid, doctors pay attention to the increase in the number of patients who enter with fibromyalgia complaints, painful conditions are not easily diagnosed or treated.
“In the past two months, I have received six new patients with fibromyalgia every week,” said Rheumatologist Dr.
Dipti Patel from Wockhardt Hospital, close to the Mumbai Central train station.
While the virus itself may not be a trigger for fibromyalgia, instability and emotional upheaval people who suffer because Covid can be the reason.
Dr.
Patel said while noting the history of the patient, he found nearly 40% of them suffering from covid three or four months before the symptoms of fibromyalgia appeared.
“Most of them are young, more women than men, and work for hours from their homes,” he added.
Fibromyalgia is a painful abnormality characterized by non-specific pain, mostly on the shoulders, joints, elbows, chest, etc.
The patient has a trigger point which, when pressed, causes severe pain.
Many patients with fibromyalgia also suffer from ‘memory fog’ or constant fatigue syndrome.
Dr.
S Mohanty from the orthopedic department of the Hospital Kem said the test carried out in such patients rarely showed abnormalities.
“But their pain has for months and they have specific trigger points throughout the body,” he said.
The economic and emotional decline caused by covid pandemics can be a trigger that leads to a surge in cases, said experts.
Neurologically Dr.
Rajesh Benny from Fortis Hospital, Mulund, said it was difficult to connect covid with fibromyalgia.
“There is no exponential increase in the case of fibromyalgia because of Covid.
We know that the scratches or cases of paralysis of Bell increased due to Covid, but it cannot be said about fibromyalgia.
Not all pain and pain is fibromyalgia,” Dr.
Benny added.
Fibromyalgia is not easily diagnosed because there is no single test or scan that can detect the disorder.
It is diagnosed by testing other diseases and eliminating them one by one.
While the cause is still unclear, genetics and viral infections play a role.