Fibromyalgia flare-ups can be the result of:
- stress
- injury
- an illness, such as the flu
An imbalance in brain chemicals may cause the brain and nervous system to misinterpret or overreact to normal pain signals.
Other factors that increase your risk of developing fibromyalgia include:
- Gender. Most fibromyalgia cases are currently diagnosed in women, although the reason for this gender disparity isn’t clear.
- Age. You’re most likely to be diagnosed in middle age, and your risk increases as you get older. However, children can develop fibromyalgia also.
- Family history. If you have close family members with fibromyalgia, you may be at greater risk for developing it.
- Disease. Although fibromyalgia isn’t a form of arthritis, having lupus or RA may increase your risk of also having fibromyalgia.