“Possible Association Found Between Neutrophil Migration into Sensory Ganglia and Fibromyalgia Pain: Study”

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London, Hebrew University, and University College London have discovered a link between fibromyalgia-type symptoms and the migration of neutrophils into sensory ganglia. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, investigated possible causes of fibromyalgia in mouse experiments. Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain throughout the body, fatigue, depression, and sleep problems. In this study, the researchers found that neutrophils, the most abundant type of white blood cell produced by the body, infiltrate sensory ganglia and mediate chronic widespread pain in fibromyalgia. Interestingly, the means by which the neutrophils cause pain is through the invasion of bundles of ganglia in the central nervous system. While medical researchers still do not understand why elevated levels of neutrophils occur in people with fibromyalgia, the findings suggest that therapies to reduce such levels may provide relief.