Fibromyalgia may be triggered by a number of serious injuries including back injuries, infections, and other events that caused trauma to the body. Some scientists also believe that physical abuse and sexual abuse during childhood can have an affect on the onset of fibromyalgia.

Life threatening illnesses such as a brain aneurysm can also be a contributing factor in fibromyalgia, and any kind of severe physical trauma that affects the body can have this impact. Even something as simple as carpal tunnel syndrome, which is repetitive motion injury, can end up being a fibromyalgia cause.

Pregnancy can also cause fibermyalgia symptoms. So why would physical trauma factor as a trigger of this illness?

It is known that the body responds to stress by pumping out hormones and neurotransmitters, but the body can overreact to an illness or injury so that these reactions will continue after the event is over.

Some scientists think that fibromyalgia symptoms are triggered by a bacterial or viral infection, which then gets the immune system out of whack. A scientific study in 2001 found that 50% of individuals exposed to enterovirus suffered from sudden onset fibromyalgia, while this was not so common in those who had a slow progression form of the illness.

Auto immune reactions, especially in women, occur when the immune system becomes hyperreactive, which may also a factor into the causes of fibromyalgia. On the other hand, some people may have immune systems that basically shut down, which can similarly lead to the onset of this illness.

Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C have also been factored in as causes of fibromyalgia, and a 2005 study found that 50% of those with hepatitis B suffered from this neurological illness. Scientists are still confused at the link between these two illnesses, and Hepatitis C is a less causative link than Hepatitis B, although the rate of Hepatitis C patients suffering from fibromyalgia symptoms is still quite high.

Other illnesses that have been fingered as creating fibromyalgia like symptoms are epstein barr, HIV, and lyme disease. Gulf war syndrome is thought to have a role for those who are or were in active service in the Persian Gulf. Of course, the juries still out on what Gulf War syndrome actually is, and scientists are still studying whether it is a bacterial infection, a viral infection, or simply posttraumatic stress disorder. 14% of those suffering from Gulf War syndrome had the characteristics of fibromyalgia.

Levels of growth hormone may also factored into the development of this illness, and stressful events during childhood may stop the production of these hormones.

Levels of particular body chemicals and neurotransmitters have also frequently been fingered as playing a role in the development of fibromyalgia symptoms. This is believed to be caused by an abnormality in the control of the production of chemicals in the brain, such as by the hypothalamus and the adrenal glands.

Substance P is a neurotransmitter that sends messages of pain throughout the body, but in those with fibromyalgia symptoms, this neurochemical may be misfiring, sending signals when they are not needed. Fibromyalgia patients may have three times the levels of this compound in their cerebral spinal fluid, but it is unknown whether these are the result of this illness or the cause.

Hormones that are commonly fingered in the causes of fibromyalgia should include cortisol, which is a stress hormone that regulates the body’s internal clock and has a calming effect on the body.

What about environmental factors and fibromyalgia causes?

Some people believe that an excess amounts of phosphates leave the kidneys unable to remove enough of it from the body, so they try to cut down on substances that contain Salicylate. Some individuals may also be hypersensitive to chemicals, such as cigarette smoke, shampoos, or a number of other synthetic chemicals that have been created over the past 50 years.

This also ties in with specific allergic reactions to specific elements of one’s environment such as anti-histamine drugs or synthetic chemicals.

Fibromyalgia genetics are another concern, but it only appears that there is a weak correlation between genetics and this illness. It may be that some people have a genetic predisposition to developing this illness, although it still may need to be triggered by a climactic event.

Since women develop this illness more frequently than men, it may be that the females are the genetic carriers.

A lack of excercise and over exercise may also be a factor in the causes of fibromyalgia, either resulting in too little stress on the body or too much stress, causing symptoms.

With so many potential causes for the development of fibromyalgia, research is still being conducted in order to try to learn the roots of this illness. Hopefully in another decade or two, physicians and scientists will nail down the combination of causes that factor into the development of fibromyalgia.