Is fibromyalgia hereditary?

Family history is one of the first things a clinician asks about, so it makes sense to think it through before an appointment. We suggest bringing a short list along.

Does it run in families?

Partly, though not in a simple way. NIAMS writes: "Fibromyalgia tends to run in families, so genetic factors are likely to contribute to the disorder, but little is known for sure about the specific genes involved."

The same source adds: "However, the disorder also occurs in people with no family history of the disorder." So a relative with fibromyalgia does not decide your case, and having no relatives with it does not rule it out.

How to use this

Treat family history as one piece of information among several.

Collect these items, in this order, before you see someone.

• Which relatives have had long-lasting widespread pain, and what they were told it was.
• Your own symptoms, with dates for when each began.
• The medicines you take and the tests you have already had.

Reading further and finding a clinician

Read the fibromyalgia overview at NIAMS to see the full passage in context. A general pain resource can help you find words for your own symptoms.

If you are in Bloomfield or a nearby town, you can then look for a pain clinician, and a professional society for pain physicians shows what that specialty covers.

Weighing family history against your own symptoms

Genes are only part of the picture. Ask your clinician how family history fits with your symptoms, and do not treat it as a verdict either way.