Fibromyalgia Over-Diagnosed 97% of The Time: Chronic Pain Due To Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Acromo-Clavicular Joint Syndrome, Disrupted Disc, Nerve Entrapments, Facet Syndrome and Other Disorders Mistakenly Called Fibromyalgia
Abstract
Nelson Hendler and Thomas Romano
A review was conducted of 47 patients referred to Mensana Clinic with the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, and other diagnoses. Of the 47 patients, 9 received only an initial evaluation, and 38 received a partial or complete diagnostic evaluation. The diagnostic criterion for fibromyalgia was not met in 37 of 38 patients. Therefore, 97.3% of patients were misdiagnosed by referring doctors as having fibromyalgia, when they did not meet the diagnostic criteria (errors of commission). Additionally, referring physicians made only 7/50 diagnoses (including fibromyalgia) that were confirmed by objective testing or diagnostic criteria, which means 86 % of the time they made diagnoses that were not confirmed. Referring physicians also failed to diagnose 133 medical conditions that were confirmed by objective testing at Mensana Clinic, for a failure to diagnose rate of 94.3% (errors of omission). Of the patients misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, i.e. told they had fibromyalgia when they did not, 94.2% of them were women.