New research at the University of Aberdeen, Academia Sinica in Taiwan and a group of international experts, has identified that long term persistent pain (chronic pain) – which is commonly experienced by people with ME/CFS and those with Fibromyalgia – is processed differently in the nervous system from pain that comes from an injury or over exertion (acute pain).
Findings show that in people with chronic pain, a specific set of nerves are permanently switched on by an excess of a specific chemical messenger, called glutamate, in the body causing ongoing pain.
Notably, acute pain can be treated effectively with common painkillers, but chronic pain can not. Therefore, it is clear that new treatments for chronic pain are required, but previously the disease mechanism for these treatments to target was unknown.
Although more research is needed to ascertain whether this pathway for chronic pain can be identified in different samples of people who experience chronic pain, the researchers hope that their discovery will lead to the development of a targeted treatment which will block the effect of glutamate, and stop the chronic pain being triggered entirely.
While drug development could take up to 10 years, Marlene – a person with “chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia” – spoke to STV News and stated that “just having the validation helps immediately….hopefully long term it means that they can maybe stop fibromyalgia from happening in the first place”.
