Fibromyalgie im Kindes- und Jugendalter. Ein generalisiertes Schmerzsyndrom

Fibromyalgia is a diffuse pain syndrome which manifests with increasing numbers in children and adolescents. It affects mainly girls around puberty. The cause is multifactorial. Chronic stress is a main trigger of the symptoms. The patients complain of diffuse musculoskeletal pain without objective pathology. Tender points at tendon and muscle insertions which are painful on pressure are characteristic. Most patients also have vegetative symptoms like chronic abdominal pain or headaches, sleep disturbances and chronic fatigue. Due to the severe pain patients drift more and more into social isolation. They give up sports, music and other activities, lose contact to their peer group and often miss school for weeks or even months. An effective therapy must be multidisciplinary. Drugs are less effective. More helpful prove activating therapies like exercises, aquagymnastic, dancing therapy and active games. Equal important are relaxing techniques like muscle relaxation, breathing therapy, visualisation and others. Psychotherapeutic care is necessary. Therapy aims to activate the patient in daily living and give help for a better coping with the pain. Most often this also reduces pain severity.