What is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome?

Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia, a spirochete bacteria. It’s the most common tick-borne infectious disease in the northern hemisphere

and there are multiple strains of the bacteria. Lyme disease is endemic in many parts of the United Kingdom, particularly in woodland or heath-land areas but disease carrying ticks can also be found in cities and gardens. Transmission of Lyme disease can occur when bitten by an infected tick. Other modes of transmission including congential transmission from mother to baby. Although Borrelia has been found in biting insects such as mosquitoes and spiders, there is not yet enough research to prove that the disease can be transmitted via them.

more painful. Prevalence of Fibromyalgia: A Survey in Five European Countries (see www.fmauk.org/prevalence for details) put the prevalence of FM at between 2.9% and 4.7%. Peopl

Fibromyalgia often develops after some sort of trauma that seems to act as a trigger, such as a fall or

car accident, a viral infection, childbirth, an operation or an emotional event. Sometimes the condition begins without any obvious trigger. The actual cause of fibromyalgia has not yet been found. Over the past several years, however, research has produced some insights into this puzzling condition. For instance, it has been known that most people with fibromyalgia are deprived of deep restorative sleep.

Besides pain and fatigue fibromyalgia symptoms often include:

unrefreshing sleep – waking up tired and stiff
headaches – ranging from ordinary types to migraine
irritable bowel – alternating diarrhoea and constipation, sometimes accompanied by gas in the abdomen or nausea
cognitive disturbances including lack of concentration, temporary memory impairment and word mix up
clumsiness and dizziness
sensitivity to changes in the weather and to noise, bright lights, smoke and other environmental factors
allergies

More Info

At the present time, treatment for fibromyalgia aims at reducing pain and improving sleep. There is no 'one size fits all' approach to treatment, it depends on an individuals symptoms and needs which a GP will usually aim to treat separately. In other words, some of the symptoms are being treated, rather than the condition itself.

Learning to manage the condition seems, so far, to be the most successful way of dealing with fibromyalgia, which often involves a combination of heat, rest, exercise and reducing stress to enable some people with fibromyalgia to maintain a productive life.

Research has identified a deficiency in Serotonin in the central nervous system coupled with a threefold increase in the neurotransmitter substance P,

found in spinal fluid and which transmits pain signals.

RECOGNITION

In March 2017 some significant changes were made to the way the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are classified and diagnosed. Thirteen types of EDS are now recognised, most of which are very rare.

CAUSES

The gene mutations causing the conditions have been identified, and can be tested for, in all types except for the most common type, hypermobile EDS.

CONNECTIONS

The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of thirteen individual genetic conditions, all of which affect the body’s connective tissue. Connective tissue lies between other tissues and organs, keeping these separate whilst connecting them, holding everything in place and providing support, like the mortar between bricks.

STRETCHINESS

In EDS, a gene mutation causes a certain kind of connective tissue – the kind will depend on the type of EDS but usually a form of collagen – to be fragile and stretchy. This stretchiness can sometimes be seen in the skin of someone with EDS; individuals with the condition may also be able to extend their joints further than is usual – this is known as being hypermobile, bendy or double-jointed.

VISIBILITY OF SYMPTOMS

As collagen is present throughout the body, people with EDS tend to experience a broad range of symptoms, most of them less visible than the skin and joint differences. These are complex syndromes affecting many systems of the body at once, despite this EDS is often an invisible disability.

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms commonly include, but are not limited to, long-term pain, chronic fatigue, dizziness, palpitations and digestive disorders. Such problems and their severity vary considerably from person to person, even in the same type of EDS and within the same family.