Also called “fibrositis”, “diffuse idiopathic polyalgic syndrome (SPID)” or even “polyenthesopathy”, fibromyalgia is a common chronic disease since it affects approximately 2% of the population, according to the French Society of Rheumatology (SFR).
Characterized (among other things) by persistent chronic pain for more than 3 months and by intense fatigue which manifests itself as soon as you wake up, fibromyalgia is a rather feminine disease since it would reach (according to the SFR) 8 women for 2 men.
However, men are not spared from fibromyalgia. According a study published by the Mayo Clinic (in the United States) in 2012, male patients suffering from this chronic disease would often be under-diagnosed and suffer from an (even) longer medical wandering than other patients…
“Men are expected to resist and toughen up”
“Health professionals who find themselves faced with a male patient with signs that may suggest fibromyalgia do not immediately consider this diagnosis: it is a mistake because there are also treatments to improve the daily life of patients. fibromyalgia, regardless of gender“analyze the American researchers.
According to a study published in 2018 in the American Journal of Men’s Health (based on a large panel of 1163 volunteers, including 800 men), 4% of men suffer from fibromyalgia in the United States. An under-diagnosis which, according to the authors, is partly explained by sexist received ideas: “men are expected to resist and be tough [face à la douleur chronique] (…) Fibro men are therefore often stigmatized as being lazy.“. What if we changed mentalities?
Read also :
- Fibromyalgia: 5 symptoms that should make you think of the disease
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- Fibromyalgia: Tai-Chi to fight against pain
