What is the outlook for people with fibromyalgia? This really depends on a lot of factors, including a person’s overall health, whether they have other comorbid conditions, whether they have a good social support system and healthy relationships in their lives, and whether a person is able to address and manage the things that trigger their symptoms, including stress.
Medications, a healthy lifestyle, and other individualized treatments can help reduce symptoms significantly, but many people will experience at least some symptoms intermittently throughout their lifetime, especially if they go through periods of stress, illness, or injury. For some people, fibromyalgia can lead to disability or other complications that reduce their quality of life.
Fortunately, fibromyalgia doesn’t appear to be life-threatening nor damaging to internal organs.
FAQ
Can fibromyalgia shorten your life?
Fibromyalgia doesn’t shorten a person’s life expectancy.
However, serious cases of fibromyalgia may lead to issues that can threaten a person’s lifespan, including suicide (due to severe depression), falls (due to impaired function, deconditioning, and muscle weakness) and complications caused by co-occurring conditions.
How long do people live with fibromyalgia?
In general, people who have this condition tend to live as long as people who don’t.
What are the long-term effects of fibromyalgia?
The long-term effects of fibromyalgia can range from mild to severe and potentially life-altering. In some cases, a person may be able to experience full recovery from their symptoms and may not even require long-term use of medication. In other cases, fibromyalgia may cause disability, reduce function, loss of independence, and decreased quality of life.
Can you die of fibromyalgia?
It’s not possible to die of fibromyalgia directly, and the condition is not fatal. However, other issues and conditions that are associated with fibromyalgia (such as depression, decreased mobility, and autoimmune diseases) may lead to complications that can decrease a person’s lifespan.
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