diseases, however there are limitations to such studies. The findings
do not prove that serious stresses in childhood directly cause poor
physical health later on although it may be one of many factors in a
few subgroups.
All humans develop disease regardless of their exposure to early life
adversity. Many people who did not have early life adversity go on to
develop the same diseases as those who did. Other limitations include
reliance on people's memories, effectiveness of coping strategies in
individual response to adversity, and lack of biomarkers to
definitively diagnose pain or diseases as well as the potential
failure to differentiate between affective disorders and organic
disease.
Pain Res Treat. 2012;2012:140832. Epub 2011 Oct 12.
Early Life Adversity as a Risk Factor for Fibromyalgia in Later Life.
Low LA, Schweinhardt P.Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain,
McGill University, 3640 University Street, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A
2B2.
AbstractThe impact of early life events is increasingly becoming
apparent, as studies investigate how early childhood can shape
long-term physiology and behaviour.
Fibromyalgia (FM), which is characterised by increased pain
sensitivity and a number of affective co-morbidities, has an unclear
etiology.
This paper discusses risk factors from early life that may increase
the occurrence or severity of FM in later life: pain experience during
neonatal life causes long-lasting changes in nociceptive circuitry and
increases pain sensitivity in the older organism; premature birth and
related stressor exposure cause lasting changes in stress
responsivity; maternal deprivation affects anxiety-like behaviours
that may be partially mediated by epigenetic modulation of the
genome-all these adult phenotypes are strikingly similar to symptoms
displayed by FM sufferers.
In addition, childhood trauma and exposure to substances of abuse may
cause lasting changes in developing neurotransmitter and endocrine
circuits that are linked to anxiety and stress responses.
PMID: 22110940 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] PMCID: PMC3196867
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