A blood test for fibromyalgia based on mid-IR spectroscopy can differentiate this condition from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Fibromyalgia is notoriously difficult to diagnose, although it is the dominant cause of chronic pain in the US population. It has been described as part of a wider range of conditions that include chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine and painful bladder syndrome. Clinicians rely on the occurrence of chronic pain at specific "tender points" backed up by blood tests and X-rays that rule out other possibilities.

Now, scientists in the US have suggested that a simple blood test might be feasible for diagnosing fibromyalgia. It was is described in Analyst by Tony Buffington and colleagues from Ohio State University and Metabolon Inc. in Durham, NC. They showed that ATR-IR spectra of the blood of patients are different from those suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Helped by multivariate analysis, the spectra correctly distinguished the three conditions in a total of 41 patients, with no misclassifications.

With the help of a parallel metabolomics analysis, the major distinguishing comonents in the blood were associated with the breakdown of tryptophan, like kynurenine, as well as trans-urocanate which is produced by the breakdown of histidine.

Author(s)

Steve Down