Back in the December 19, 2012 issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism, it was suggested by a Mayo Clinic study that men with Fibromyalgia often go undiagnosed.

I believe that’s true and see the same thing happening with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, too. Part of the reason “why” has to be that when men complain and go to the doctor with the symptoms that are common to these illnesses, their doctor is quick to rule out other causes first. After all, these two illnesses are quite uncommon among men and the doctor usually doesn’t consider them first, if at all.

Plus, if you consider the fact that both Fibromyalgia (a.k.a. Fibro) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (a.k.a. CFS) are not easy for some doctors to diagnose, are complex as illnesses and are even harder to treat, it’s easy to see second and third reasons for causing this phenomena: undiagnosed men with Fibromyalgia or CFS.

There are no clearly defined, reliable tests to establish either of these illnesses. Diagnosis and treatment remain an acquired skill of the physician investigator. The place to start is to rule out what else could be causing the symptoms. Often that leads to multiple diagnoses that, once strung together, lead the knowledgeable physician to discern, “Maybe this could be __XXX__!”

The findings from the Mayo Clinic study suggest…

(Today’s podcast is 11 minutes 13 seconds.)

that even though other people do go undiagnosed, men are prevalent and predominant within this group. Check out the online edition of the journal Arthritis Care & Research. More research is needed, particularly on why men who reported Fibromyalgia symptoms were less likely than women to receive a Fibromyalgia diagnosis, says lead author Ann

Vincent, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic’s Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Clinic.

‘Health care providers may not think of this diagnosis when face to face with a male patient with musculoskeletal pain and fatigue’, Dr. Vincent reports.

‘These findings need to be explored further.’

Included in a study done in Olmsted County, Minn., home to a comprehensive medical records pool known as the Rochester Epidemiology Project, 5.3% met the Fibromyalgia diagnosis criteria, but only a dozen actually had been diagnosed with the illness.

Based on their findings, the researchers estimate that as many as 6.4% of people 21 and older in Olmsted County have Fibromyalgia. This is a much higher figure then the number who actually have the diagnosis.

Based on the assumption that Fibromyalgia is more common in women, but men can get it too, this discrepancy between the number of people reporting Fibro symptoms and the number actually diagnosed with the condition was greatest among men, the study found. Twenty times more men appeared to be living with undiagnosed cases of Fibromyalgia, based on their survey response. The figure for women undiagnosed was a three times ratio.

In the end, this is a tragedy on two fronts:

1) because men need their symptoms diagnosed properly. It makes no sense going down the wrong rabbit trail, racking up unnecessary medical bills and delaying symptom relief that much longer;

2) because medical science does have a few effective treatments for Fibromyalgia. Proper diagnosis is the first key. Without it, treatments are a hit or miss situation. Note: if you have unexplained pain, overwhelming fatigue, sleeping problems, memory deficits and/or mood issues, you could have one of these illnesses. *See the pages on the website for Fibro Info and CFS Info. There is more information there about what to look for and what you can do about it.

Truly, remedying “Men with Fibromyalgia often go undiagnosed”…is a first and critical step if each man’s symptoms are to be respected, treated properly and he is able to get on with his vital and productive life.

Cinda Crawford, host of

Health Matters Show