Fibromyalgia and unexplained chronic pain

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic, common, complex, and heterogeneous disorder of still poorly understood etiology and pathophysiology. Even diagnosis is still a challenge for physicians and healthcare professionals, due to the lack of objective markers, making it just a differential one. The main symptoms that characterize FM are important musculoskeletal widespread pain, fatigue, non-restorative sleep, mood disturbances, and cognitive impairments.

This research line springs from the will for an answer to the call for help from patients who experience tremendous human suffering and the “call for action” by the FM research community in need of novel contributions to disentangle such a skein of a disease. It aims to be strongly translational and to give effective answers to patients with the final goal of improving both diagnosis and treatment, attempting to address FM etiology and pathophysiology.

Despite its benign prognosis, epidemiological data clearly demonstrate the socio-economical burden associated with Fibromyalgia worldwide and the urgency of effective answers to patients and society. It is estimated to afflict 2~3% of the worldwide population, with clear prevalence among women. FM has substantial impacts on the physical functioning, the mental health, and the quality of life of patients as well as their relatives. It is associated with direct and indirect economic costs in term of productivity losses. Nevertheless, the economic burden does not do justice to the extent of suffering and reduced quality of life experienced by patients.

Gadolinium toxicity

A role for gadolinium retained in the body emerged during the research activity on fibromyalgia and unexplained chronic pain. Gadolinium ion has unique physico-chemical properties that make it the best probe to date for contrast enhanced MR investigations for diagnostic purpose. Devastating and pathological consequences associated with administration of gadolinium based contrast agents in patients with reduced renal function are already known. They cause the devastating and disabling disease termed nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. It can be life-threatening and it still lacks effective cures . Nevertheless, safety and potential risks from gadolinium retained in the body is emerging even in patients with normal renal function and led to the definition of a gadolinium retention/deposition diseases.

This research line aims to answer the “call for help” by the victims of gadolinium toxicity and the research community in need of novel contributions to disentangle such a skein and excruciating condition. It aims to be strongly translational and to give effective answers to patients with the final goal of improving both diagnosis, prevention and treatment.

Lattanzio SM (2021) Toxicity associated with gadolinium-based contrast-enhanced examinations. AIMS Biophysics volume 8, issue 2:198-220 doi: 10.3934/biophy.2021015 https://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/biophy.2021015

Lattanzio SM and Imbesi F (2020) Fibromyalgia associated with repeated gadolinium contrast-enhanced MRI examinations Radiol Case Rep 2020 15: 534-541 doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2020.02.002 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1930043320300431

Lattanzio SM (2019) The gadolinium hypothesis for fibromyalgia and unexplained widespread chronic pain. Med Hyp 129. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109240 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987719303263#!

Lattanzio SM and Imbesi F (2018) Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Case Report on Controlled Remission of Symptoms by a Dietary Strategy. Front. Med. 5:94. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2018.00094 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2018.00094/full

Lattanzio SM (2017) Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Metabolic Approach Grounded in Biochemistry for the Remission of Symptoms. Front. Med. 4:198. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2017.00198 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2017.00198/full

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