1st European Forum of Fibromyalgia>

After  The Opening of the Event the first paper was given by Dr. Fernández Solá, Coordinator of the Unit of Chronic Fatigue of    Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, titled “FMS, CFS, MCS a Same Condition?”. This covered the   physiological and pathological fundamentals  of the three illnesses aiming to  bring the audience closer to the differential and emphasized diagnose and  also to  the present interrelationship between these pathologies In short,  Dr. Fernández Solá covers  the recent identification of these pathologies and the difficult diagnose and symptomatic  treatment,  due to the ignorance and complication that continues at present when handling some illnesses that   mainly affect women. Once a general   overview on the illness and  a treatment timeline has been done, he focused on the details of each one, doing  remarkable bibliographic references. Among these, are like a basic text, the document of Consensus for fibromyalgia drafted in 1993 in Catalonia, or   the two new criteria for diagnostics in 2010 of the academy of  American Rheumatology conferring   big scientific relevance to his paper.

The afternoon of this first day of the forum continues with the paper “ Fibromialgya is Real”, by the Director of the Unit of Clinical Investigation of the University of Texas (U.S.),  Dr. Irwin Jon  Russell. He covers the statistical, symptomatologic and diagnostic reality in the treatment of fibromyalgia. It defends the already existent objectification of some of the necessary symptoms for the diagnostic and the evolution to the scientific perspective which defend the existent investigations, that  although being less abundant than for other pathologies they still are corroborating his theory. He also contributes  with a humanizatión of the process with his important implication with the same as a professional through expressions, translated,   Doctors have to be prepared to accept  Fibromialgya as a real condition that produces a serious impact  on the life of the patient.

Once  the previous  paper was finalized, a round table was opened  for discussion with important participation of the assistants and the two previous speakers. This was, chaired by   Dr. Jesús Gómez-Trigo Ochoa, who also made a brief presentation of his own experience as a psychiatrist in the treatment of patients  not only requiring psychological support with his illness, but of the mistaken tendency of some professionals of the medicine to treat patients with Fibromialgya like a psychiatric diagnostic.

On Saturday  the day opens  with the paper “Fibromyalgya: a Challenge for Biomedical Investigation  ” By Dr. Francisco J. Blanco, rheumatologist and coordinator of the area of investigation of the University Hospital of A Coruña and spokesman of the Spanish Society of Rheumatology . Being  a professional who centres his work on rheumatological illnesses, he makes references  in his presentation  to the different consideration given  by science to the illness on which the Forum focuses  with regard to other   illnesses of his own speciality.

The following presentation was made by Dr. Robert of Boelhouwer, president of the European Network of Associations of Fibromialgya (ENFA), who explained the nature of the association that he chairs and did a brief comparative review between the different realities observed   between the different countries of Europe, in which the population affected by this illness exceeds  twelve million individuals. A clear example   of this is the recognition  of fibromyalgia by  the Government of the United Kingdom and the National Health Service (NHS), but It does not prevent  the same   and difficulty from arising in the diagnose of those affected in any other European country.

This problematic way is what has promoted the birth of the association chaired by the speaker, with the intention of  joining efforts for the improvement of   treatment of the patients in the different country members, and promote the investigation on the illness.

The Third Paper of this day was given by Dr. Estivill, director of the Unit of Alterations of sleep of the Institut Dexeus in Barcelona, titled “Sleep in Fibromialgya and Association with Other Illnesses (Narcolepsy, SPI)”. In it he  gives a thorough explanation of the alterations of sleep  associated with fibromyalgia, such as sleeplessness, narcolepsy, diverse parasomnias like nightmares or the syndrome of restless legs, on which he put special emphasis, as   20% of those affected by Fibromialgya present the syndrome of restless legs. With plenty of statistical data like the previous, it remains strengthened through the whole  paper the huge problematic of   sleep  associated  with the pathology on which the Forum is focused, and the need of in depth investigation and medical treatment of the disorders of sleep that affect  patients, as this would improve  dramatically the quality of life of those affected by the condition.

The first paper of the afternoon titled “Integral Attention in Fibromialgya”,  was given by Mónica Rodríguez Bouza,  Nurse Coordinator of Innovation in Cares of the Directorate of Strategy of the General Office of Quality, Investigation and Management of Knowledge in the regional  Health Ministry  of Andalusia’s local Government. The speaker reflects the  medical reality of the process of the illness in  her autonomous community. All this  is regulated by the regional ministry in two documents, “The manual of process asistencial of Fibromialgya” and “the fast Guide of attention”. Both documents are mainly oriented to professionals, since in them appears  in the medical field, the figure of the nurse and medical referent in Primary Attention, professional with the necessary training and  responsible for the coordination of the process in a systematic way. In her autonomous community are also considered  the generalities of the illness in the school of patients  (www.escueladepacientes.es) with an orientation to the population affected by the process mainly through the informative guide ellaborated by the regional Ministry

.In the paper “Fibromialgya and Rights” given by the magistrate of  the Social courtroom of the Upper Court of Justice of Galicia, Fernando Lousada Aronchena refers to  the legal problems caused by  the existent legal controversy, Since in the statement of the WHO from 1992 , fibromyalgia  appears like an illness and in the Royal decree of 1999 it’s excluded   of the listing of illnesses causing dissablility in Spain.

This  explains the correcting role to tackle the situation usually played by courts, but, from his professional perspective, it does not exclude  a need for a new Royal decree regulating fibromyalgia like an illness to all the legal effects.

The last paper of the forum was given by the Dr. Martínez-Lavín, Director of the Department of Rheumatology of the National Institute of Cardiology of Mexico and professor   of Rheumatology in the Autonomous National University of Mexico and    the National Academy of Medicine of the same country, and it was titled “Holistic Approach  to Fibromyalgia”. It covers   part of the bibliographic references of investigation related to the subject, which still are not considered enough  to generalise in the medical practice the total and appropriate handling of the illness.

 Thus it is quoted the new scientific paradigm, the complexity of the pathologies on which the forum focuses. The Dr supports the need reflected by several references in articles such as the example of “ Pain/Depression dyad: to Key to to Better Understanding and Treatment of Functional Somatic Syndromes” published on the issue 123 of the Journal of Medicine of the year 2010,  On it he mentions the important percentage of medical queries related  to complex illnesses, with  which it´s aimed to establish in an indirect way  the prevalence of the illness in the population, and therefore the need of investigation that exists.

After a round table chaired again by   Dr. Jesús Gómez-Trigo Ochoa,  the forums is closed.