Many experts believe that both fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) might be caused in part by genetic predisposition, but what does that mean, exactly?
If you're genetically predisposed to a disease or condition, it means that your risk of contracting it is higher simply because of your genetic makeup. It does not, however, mean that you will actually come down with the illness. Typically, something else would have to come into play. For instance, someone with a genetic predisposition to fibromyalgia may not develop it until she is exposed to long-term stress then suffers a traumatic experience.
Researchers suspect genetic predisposition in FMS and ME/CFS partly because they've found the conditions in multiple members of the same family. Also, other factors that seem to trigger the illnesses don't cause problems in most people.
Doctors can perform genetic tests to reveal predispositions to certain diseases, but because the possible genetic components of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome remain a mystery, they can't test you for them. If you have close family members with one of the conditions, though, you're considered at risk for developing it yourself and may want to take steps to lower your risk by getting treatment for sleep disturbances and any emotional or psychological problems.
Sources:
2000-2005 Adviware Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. "Medical Dictionary: Genetic predisposition"
2007 ProHealth, Inc. All rights reserved.
"Genetic Predisposition to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia?"
2007 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved. "Chronic fatigue syndrome"
2006 BioMed Central Ltd. All rights reserved. "Biology and therapy of fibromyalgia. Genetic aspects of fibromyalgia syndrome"
