Fibromyalgia is a long-term disease that affects millions of people. Its predominant feature is generalized pain that often occurs along with fatigue, tenderness, difficulty sleeping, and other symptoms. The symptoms do not go away, although their intensity may vary over time.
People with fibromyalgia may find it difficult to do everyday activities, such as walking short distances, climbing stairs, and doing chores around the house.
Now, a study that compared women with and without fibromyalgia, has linked, for the first time, intestinal bacteria with this disease and its main symptoms. Researchers, from the Alan Edwards Pain Control Unit at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, identified 19 species of intestinal bacteria that were present in more or lesser numbers of individuals with fibromyalgia. The study has been published in the journal Pain .
The experts used artificial intelligence and other techniques to rule out variables that could influence the link between gut bacteria and fibromyalgia, including age, medications, diet, and exercise, among other factors.
“We also saw that the severity of a patient’s symptoms was directly correlated with an increased presence or a more pronounced absence of certain bacteria, something that has never been reported before,” explains Amir Minerbi, co-author of the work.
The team is willing to point out that the findings do not show whether changes in gut bacteria are just markers for the disease or whether they actually contribute or cause its development.
If gut bacteria play an active role in the promotion and development of fibromyalgia, this discovery could significantly shorten the years it usually takes to diagnose the disease. It might even pave the way to find a cure.
Gut microbiome and fibromyalgia
The gut microbiome is a vast and complex ecosystem of bacteria, yeast, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms that inhabit the digestive tract. These little hosts are constantly exchanging signals with their host’s cells. Numerous studies have revealed that the interaction between the gut microbiome and the body plays an important role in health and disease.
“People with fibromyalgia suffer not only from the symptoms of their disease but also from family, friends, and medical teams having difficulty understanding their symptoms,” says Yoram Shir, leader of the study.
Study data
Of the 156 Montreal women who participated in the study, 77 had fibromyalgia, while the remaining 79 healthy people acted as control subjects. Some of the participants in the control group were siblings, descendants or parents of people with fibromyalgia or who shared their living space.
All participants gave samples of stool, urine and saliva. They also underwent interviews. The researchers analyzed the data from the tests on the samples and from the interviews. They compared the outcomes of the fibromyalgia participants with those of their healthy counterparts.
Study co-author Emmanuel González commented: “We classified large amounts of data, identifying 19 species of gut bacteria that increased or decreased in individuals with fibromyalgia .”
Using machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to analyze the microbiomes in stool samples, the team was able to identify which participants had fibromyalgia with an accuracy of 87.8%.
“We observed a quantitative association between the abundance of various species of bacteria and the severity of fibromyalgia-related symptoms, including pain intensity, pain distribution, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive symptoms,” emphasize the authors.
They add that the “abundance” of the bacterial species also “selectively correlates with disease-related symptoms, but not with disease-independent variables.”
The researchers plan to replicate the findings in a larger and geographically diverse group of participants . They also want to conduct animal studies to find out if gut bacteria really play a role in the formation of fibromyalgia.
“This is the first evidence, at least in humans, that the microbiome could have an effect on diffuse pain, and we really need new ways of looking at chronic pain,” concludes Yoram Shir.
Referencia: Altered microbiome composition in individuals with fibromyalgia. Amir Minerbi;Emmanuel Gonzalez;Nicholas Brereton;Abraham Anjarkouchian;Ken Dewar;Mary-Ann Fitzcharles;Stéphanie Chevalier;Yoram Shir. PAIN. Publish Ahead of Print():, JUN 2019 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001640 Publication Date: 2019/06/01
