A recent study suggests a possible cause of fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition affecting mostly women. Scientists found that immune cells, specifically neutrophils, have the capability of invading nerve cells and causing central sensitization. This invasion results in nerve signals passing through the brain and spinal cord being mistakenly amplified, causing a hypersensitivity to pain. The study indicates that fibromyalgia could be an autoimmune disorder where immune cells play a key role beyond acute inflammatory pain. Researchers found elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines that Neutrophils produce in fibromyalgia patients, and in a series of imaging experiments, human neutrophils from fibromyalgia patients were seen invading bundles of sensory nerves called ganglia in the animal’s peripheral nervous system. The researchers found that when they depleted neutrophils from mice primed to the pain, the onset of persistent widespread pain was measurably delayed, suggesting that neutrophils play a role in tripping the nervous system into a state of lasting chronic pain. This study offers insights into the potential treatment approaches for fibromyalgia and could help researchers tease out the subtle differences in people’s pain experiences that may have influenced the inconsistent results.
