https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. New genetic risk factors have been identified for fibromyalgia syndrome in a landmark study that involved scientists at King's College London. The study, published in Nature Medicine, highlights how the nervous system plays an important role in the development of the disorder. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-genetic-factors-fibromyalgia-largest-kind.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 05:00:03 EDT news704366821 A sleep supplement widely used to treat insomnia could help reduce reliance on some of the most common and potentially harmful pain medications, new research from the University of Sydney suggests. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-melatonin-ease-chronic-pain.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 15:00:01 EDT news702027361 Lyme disease can be easiest to treat in its earliest stages, but current tests often miss infections during that critical window and cannot tell whether bacteria are still present or were cleared years ago. New research led by Tufts University School of Medicine suggests that a group of immune molecules called anti-lipid antibodies may address these shortcomings. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-newfound-biomarkers-clinicians-possibly-lyme.html Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:00:04 EDT news701949661 Fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are debilitating conditions, and patients can feel misunderstood and abandoned, in addition to experiencing a wide range of physical and mental symptoms. Several psychological and biological theories have been proposed to explain why the conditions occur, but there is no agreement on whether any one theory is true. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-sensation-suppression-theory-aims-people.html Mon, 22 Jun 2026 13:40:01 EDT news701352867 Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder characterized primarily by chronic widespread pain, fatigue and other physical and cognitive symptoms. Although it affects millions of people worldwide, the underlying biological mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Now, a study by the University of Barcelona suggests that neuroimmune alterations in the central nervous system may play a key role in the development and progression of this condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-neuroimmune-abnormalities-play-key-role.html Sun, 21 Jun 2026 15:30:01 EDT news701075049 Physical pain is essential for survival, as it allows animals to detect when they are injured or unwell, seek shelter and address their ailments. Yet when it becomes chronic, pain can also become highly distressing and debilitating. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-vagus-nerve-quiet-pain-newly.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:00:02 EDT news700480898 Using ultrasound to stimulate a specific part of the brain could offer a noninvasive therapy that benefits those experiencing chronic pain, a new study has suggested. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-ultrasound-potential-brain-pain.html Wed, 13 May 2026 09:12:07 EDT news697882261 Global figures estimate that around one in six women will experience sexual assault during their lifetime. These figures are not only high but also extremely concerning, given that sexual assault is a deeply traumatic experience for someone to go through. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-rape-sexual-assault-longterm-chronic.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:40:06 EDT news696597062 Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), long known as chronic fatigue syndrome, is now recognized as a complex, multi-system disease. However, it remains a medical enigma whose underlying causes are poorly understood, leaving those affected with few effective treatment options. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-glimmer-people-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:20:02 EDT news696072421 Adding TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) to outpatient physical therapy reduced movement-based pain and fatigue in patients with fibromyalgia, and the effects lasted for at least six months, according to a new study led by researchers at University of Iowa Health Care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-tens-physical-therapy-eases-fibromyalgia.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:20:03 EDT news693833701 A growing body of evidence suggests that long COVID (or post-COVID syndrome), a condition affecting more than 10% of people after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, may be driven by the immune system turning against the body. Now, new research coordinated by UMC Utrecht and Amsterdam UMC provides some of the strongest functional evidence yet that autoantibodies (antibodies that mistakenly target the body's own tissues) could play a causal role. The work appears in Cell Reports Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-autoantibodies-implicated-drivers-covid.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:00:06 EDT news693562922 Chronic pain affects nearly one in five adults worldwide and remains one of the leading causes of disability. Unlike acute pain triggered by injury, chronic pain often arises spontaneously—without an obvious external cause—and fluctuates across minutes, hours, and days. Yet clinicians still rely largely on self-reported pain ratings, as there is currently no objective biomarker comparable to blood pressure or body temperature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-personalized-fmri-decode-moment-chronic.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:40:01 EST news691758837 Ketamine, a decades-old anesthetic and fast-acting treatment for severe depression, may also offer some people rapid relief from chronic fatigue, according to a small proof-of-concept study led by researchers at Rutgers Health and the National Institutes of Health. The study is published in the journal Pharmacological Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-ketamine-chronic-fatigue.html Thu, 12 Feb 2026 12:58:38 EST news690123482 Fibromyalgia is a long-term chronic condition that causes widespread pain in the muscles and soft tissues throughout the body. The illness can affect people of all ages and has a major impact on quality of life, often making even simple, everyday activities difficult. With an estimated 2–8% of the global population affected, the search for treatments that are both effective and affordable could be a game changer for how symptoms are managed for millions of people who live with the condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-real-world-benefits-fibromyalgia-medications.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:00:06 EST news689943345 Children and adolescents affected by juvenile fibromyalgia show greater sensitivity to non-painful sensory stimuli, such as sounds and bright lights. This hypersensitivity is closely related to the severity of the disease and to the brain function of the young people affected, according to research by a team from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Institute of Neurosciences (UBneuro) at the University of Barcelona. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-children-adolescents-affected-juvenile-fibromyalgia.html Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:48:54 EST news689593690 Chronic pain affects more than 50 million Americans, yet for decades, treatment options for pain that persists in the absence of inflammation have been limited. Seventy-five percent of these patients, disproportionately women, experience pain that is inadequately managed by current therapeutics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-enzyme-blocking-treatment-reverses-chronic.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:47:01 EST news688304761 An experimental drug developed at Northwestern University has demonstrated further promise as an early intervention for Alzheimer's disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-nu-halts-alzheimer-disease-animal.html Thu, 18 Dec 2025 07:00:01 EST news685180201 A new study led by the Central Institute of Mental Health shows that people with depression and fibromyalgia exhibit nearly identical patterns of impaired emotional regulation and that stress significantly worsens pain and mood in both groups. The findings highlight the close interconnection between pain, stress, and emotions and underscore the importance of psychotherapeutic treatment approaches. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-stress-pain-harder-emotions-cases.html Wed, 17 Dec 2025 21:40:01 EST news685198117 Overactive bladder (OAB) is prevalent among women with fibromyalgia (FM) and is associated with higher symptom severity and comorbidity, according to a study published in Neurourology Urodynamics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-overactive-bladder-prevalent-women-fibromyalgia.html Tue, 16 Dec 2025 09:40:02 EST news685099375 Australian scientists have identified the key genetic drivers behind long COVID, revealing why some people continue to experience debilitating symptoms long after their initial infection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-covid-uncovers-genetic-drivers-disease.html Tue, 16 Dec 2025 06:41:10 EST news685089634 People frequently wait years to be "taken seriously," postcode lotteries for access to care and a general lack of knowledge are among some of the key findings from a University of Aberdeen investigation into fibromyalgia care. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-ease-fibromyalgia-pain-survey.html Sun, 30 Nov 2025 13:30:01 EST news683548183 A comprehensive review published in Brain Medicine illuminates the intricate connections between gut microbiota and sleep regulation, establishing the microbiota-gut-brain axis as a critical pathway in understanding and potentially treating sleep disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-exploring-interactions-gut-microbiota-disorders.html Tue, 04 Nov 2025 01:00:01 EST news681385093 Some people with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) may have a disease that is difficult to manage (D2M) or does not respond to treatment. EULAR—The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology—has released new evidence-based points to consider and consensus definitions for these groups. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-treatment-resistant-psoriatic-arthritis.html Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:10:01 EDT news681052678 Scientists in the United Kingdom say they have developed a blood test that can diagnose myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) with 96% accuracy—the first of its kind. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-blood-mecfs-expert.html Fri, 10 Oct 2025 06:42:06 EDT news679297322 The strong opioid painkiller tramadol is not significantly effective at easing the chronic pain for which it's widely prescribed, finds a pooled data analysis of the available research, published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-widely-opioid-painkiller-tramadol-significantly.html Tue, 07 Oct 2025 18:30:01 EDT news678981662 A research collaboration involving scientists and students at The University of Texas at Dallas has found a clear connection between chronic sickle cell disease pain and the bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-chronic-sickle-cell-pain-linked.html Mon, 22 Sep 2025 11:55:48 EDT news677760939 Gulf War illness (GWI), the chronic, debilitating condition linked to military service in the 1990-1991 Gulf War, will receive a dedicated diagnostic code in the October 2025 release of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10-CM). The new code is being hailed as a major step forward by veterans with GWI, and by health care providers and scientists with expertise in the condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-diagnostic-code-gulf-war-illness.html Thu, 11 Sep 2025 15:50:38 EDT news676824632 A systematic review of research spanning 34 years has found a biological link between two common neurological conditions that can potentially save the NHS millions by streamlining treatments that currently cost the NHS about £2 billion a year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-biological-link-common-neurological-conditions.html Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:40:03 EDT news676120897 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Tonmya (cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride) sublingual tablets for the treatment of fibromyalgia in adults. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-fda-sublingual-nonopioid-daily-treatment.html Wed, 20 Aug 2025 14:20:02 EDT news674916401 The off-label use of ketamine to treat chronic pain is not supported by scientific evidence, a new Cochrane review has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-ketamine-chronic-pain-unsupported-evidence.html Sun, 17 Aug 2025 21:00:02 EDT news674381281