title: Confounding features of the fibromyalgia syndrome: a current perspective of differential diagnosis.
abstract: Patients eventually diagnosed as having the fibromyalgia syndrome often have symptoms which suggest alternate diagnoses such as peripheral neuropathy, spondylitis, metabolic myopathy, polymyalgia, early rheumatoid arthritis, early systemic lupus erythematosus or a chronic fatigue syndrome. Delay in diagnosis of fibromyalgia often proves costly and frustrating to the patient and may lead to inappropriate therapy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland 97201.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bennett
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D012219:Rheumatology / Q000639:trends*; D013577:Syndrome