CNS volume 14 supplement 8 Cover and Front matter

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) is a common clinical disorder characterized by severe widespread soft-tissue pain, chronicity, and allodynia. Diagnosed by chronic widespread body pain and unusual tenderness in response to digital pressure at anatomically identified soft tissue sites, FM is increasingly being recognized as a central nervous system disorder. FM patients commonly suffer from insomnia and depression, as well as other comorbidities that complicate the diagnosis, such as anxiety, fatigue, headaches, cognitive impairment, and stress intolerance. Important differential diagnoses include the various rheumatological disorders as well as sleep disorders. Because the presentation of FM is heterogeneous, the goal of treatment is an individualized approach that considers the severity of the patient's pain, the presence of other symptoms and comorbidities or stressors, and the degree of functional impairment. New pharmacologic treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration offer important options to FM patients, and are expected to improve both diagnosis and treatment of FM. In most cases, the management of patients with FM involves both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments.