ABSTRACT
Fibromyalgia is common problem seen by physicians. This disorder is characterized by tender spots on the body that are extremely painful to touch. Fibromyalgia occurs ten times more often in women than in men. The problems discussed are not meant to be an exhaustive summary, but rather to focus on more common chronic pain problems prevalent to women. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia is based on the history and physical examination, rather than diagnositic tests that demonstrate organic pathology. Headache and rheumatoid arthritis are often cited. Lipton et al found that on data collected as part of the 1989 National Health Interview Survey, women were consistently higher than men for all reported types of orofacial pain. Somatoform pain disorder, a problem characterized by preoccupation with pain in the absence of adequate physical findings, is diagnosed almost twice as frequently in females as in males. Depression is consistently diagnosed more frequently in women than in men.
