Fibromyalgia is believed to affect at least 2% of the population. Despite advances in the scientific understanding of the derangements of central and peripheral pain processing mechanisms in fibromyalgia, no current models of its pathophysiology account for the other clinical conditions associated with it such as fatigue, migraine headache, irritable bowel syndrome, and sleep cycle abnormalities. A neuroendocrinologic model of fibromyalgia is presented that accommodates both its known central and peripheral pain mechanisms as well as the myriad of hormonal, visceral, and psychological symptoms associated with that disorder. This model also provides a unifying pathophysiologic basis of fibromyalgia and chronic muscle pain, and offers the potential for developing new avenues of research and treatment for these enigmatic, frequently disabling medical conditions
