Fibromyalgia as Autoimmune: Are Antibodies the Missing Link?
Could there be a new game changer for fibromyalgia? Here at the London Fibro Clinic, our Fibromyalgia Pain Doctors are cautiously optimistic about a breakthrough. – This is due to compelling 2025 research from Sweden and leading UK universities, that shows that fibromyalgia may be due to antibodies attacking sensory nerve-support cells
So is Something in Fibro Patients’ Blood Causing Fibromyalgia?
“Yes, says Andreas Goebel, M.D., Ph.D., of Liverpool, UK, along with his collaborators at King’s College London and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. The researchers injected mice with serum from fibromyalgia patients, and within two days, the rodents developed widespread pain. The mice also exhibited signs of fatigue and reduced muscle strength” [1]. And whilst it is not clear as to
why such symptoms come about, Dr Goebel’s research highlights the prospect that fibromyalgia is due to an autoimmune disorder [1].
Taking a Deeper Dive into This Fibromyalgia Theory
As our Fibro Specialists explain: IgG (which refers to the immunoglobulin G portion of the serum), contains a vast number of antibodies. – And it is this setting that seems to be responsible for the pain experienced by fibromyalgia sufferers [1].
Mice injected with fibromyalgia serum (human blood serum collected from patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia), is devoid of the IgG fraction, and thus in the study, failed to produce symptoms. Yet “could it be that human IgG makes mice pain-sensitive, regardless of the source (healthy controls or fibro patients)? No. Serum from healthy subjects didn’t produce symptoms in the mice” [1].
Our Fibro Consultants are mindful that Dr Goebel believes that the IgG houses an autoreactive component which is responsible for countless fibro symptoms. Yet the question remains, how can this be the case when the tissue damage that is normally present in autoimmune diseases is non-existent? In responding to this quandry, Dr Goebel notes that the antibodies can “attack the sensory nerves or nearby cells to change their function (but not destroy them). And as a result, the nerves generate more pain signals travelling to the spinal cord” [1].
In a Nutshell
As Dr Goebel remarked: “antibody-mediated immune processes in chronic primary pain (such as fibromyalgia), have been hiding in plain sight” [1]. – And this is something that all our Fibromyalgia Specialists can concur with. Moreover, as Goebel stated: it is not possible to see an image of the attack that is carried by the body’s antibodies on the SGCs (specific immune cells known as satellite glial cells), moreover, laboratory testing is unable to pick up this process. In addition, the doctor’s findings also dispute the long-held reasoning that a patient’s degree of pain equates to their level of perceptible tissue damage [1].
Fibromyalgia Symptoms to Report to Your Fibro Specialist
These comprise:
- Aches and pains across the body
- Heightened sensitivity to pain
- Extreme tiredness and fatigue
- Muscle stiffness
- Insomnia
- Feeling tired first thing in the morning (when you wake up)
- Fibro-fog (issues with mental processes, such as finding it hard to concentrate)
- Feeling depressed
- Experiencing anxiousness
- Headaches
- IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
Getting Your Fibromyalgia Pain Sorted
If you are suffering from fibromyalgia, or think that you may have it, we welcome you to
the London Fibro Clinic, London’s leading Fibromyalgia clinic. Our world-class Fibro Doctors are available for both in-person and online appointments, and once they have reviewed your medical history, asked you various pertinent questions, and undertaken any necessary exam, scans and tests, they will be able to provide you with an accurate diagnosis. And as we are European leaders in delivering a multidisciplinary approach to ameliorating fibromyalgia and empowering patients to get their life s back on track, our Pain Consultants devise a Holistic Personalised Treatment Plan for each and every patient.
Reference
[1]. American Fibromyalgia Syndrome Association (2025).
Treatment & Research News: Is Fibro an Autoimmune Disease?
https://www.fibromyalgiafund.org/is-fibro-an-autoimmune-disease/
