FGF21 the stress hormone in the pancreas is also low in FM sufferers.

Hi everyone, I thought that this might interest some of you as the stress hormone FGF21 is low in the pancreas of both pancreatic pain suffered and FMG sufferers the first article is about pancreatic pain but I think it could give hope as FGF21 hormone replacement and mimickers are being tested with a view to being licensed and used to treat and reverse pain. The FGF21 hormone (Fibroblast growth factor 21) regulates metabolic pathways so plays an important role in our bodies.

FGF21 is released into our bodies/muscles when we exercise helping to make us feel good so it's very interesting that reversing this deficiency can alleviate pancreatic pain so this is very relevant to FMG sufferers.

Here's a couple of articles about FGF21.

This is about low levels of FGF21 in the pancreas in suffered with pancreatic pain, please see::

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

And this link is about FGF21 as its a biomarker for mitochondrial translation and mtDNA maintenance disorders:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

I was diagnosed with fibrositis when I was a teenager and I've always controlled it with exercise and relaxation techniques, fibrositis is a mild form of FM so this is of great interest to me as we know how debilitating and distracting physical pain can be.

I'm sorry the articles are a bit technical but I think that this gives hope and real hope for pain sufferers.

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee]

thanks for the articles but quick comment on fibrositis. it is not a mild form but just an earlier name for fibro and now pretty much out of fashion. You also confused me with the FMG acronym as never seen it used for fibro, Typically it is fibro, FM, or FMS that is used although have seen people use FMA (which is the charity) and some other alternatives.

not heard of FGF21 in relation to fibro so looking forward to reading the articles later.

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee in reply to desquinn]

just to add that I had a quick scan and only the second one mentioned fibro but did not seem to be relevant to the conclusions they were making. On the second article it was more noting that it did not reach the level to be included in the conclusion. not sure if there are other articles that perhaps have a better connection between this and fibro.

[Hidden in reply to desquinn]

I apologise as I've posted the wrong link and I'm not very good with acronyms so that was me.

I'll try and find the article but basically it said that low levels of the stress hormone were in noted the pancreas of both FM and pancreatic pain sufferers.

FBG21 also plays a part in RA which I found interesting but I don't have a medical background.

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee in reply to Hidden]

no issue at all and similarly I am not medical so can pick things up wrong. Measuring stress and its impact would make sense for playing a part in fibro from what we know.

[Hidden in reply to desquinn]

Thank you and as 40% of our body weight is skeletal and this hormone affects our muscles by stimulating them so if low levels are seen in the pancreas as a cause of pain then it's worth investigating.

[Alb2]

Hi Jerry. Are you referring here to exocrine pancreas insufficiency? Whilst I can understand that if someone has this there will be an effect on many body systems, I’m not sure about it in relation to Fibromyalgia or that people with Fibromyalgia necessarily have this. The pancreas is an incredibly complex organ and raised enzymes and pancreatic pain are the first indicators that it’s not happy. Over time, untreated, it will cause other symptoms that probably present like fibromyalgia. Perhaps we will see advancement in awareness of causative factors for Fibromyalgia with the investigations in to long Covid, but at the moment it’s all a great area really. I will say that I absolutely agree that gentle exercise, especially stretching, is vital for me and I know I would struggle more if I stopped doing my yoga🙂

[Hidden in reply to Alb2]

Hi Amanda, I wasn’t being specific I just found it fascinating that pancreatic pain could be reversed with hormone therapy.

I’ve 2 friends who’ve died in their early 40’s because of pancreatitis hence my interest as it’s not an issue for me so I’m sorry to be vague with this post.

I have learnt to relax and then perceive pain as energy and then manipulate the energy and this works for me. I’m also a great believer in a healthy diet with plenty of exercise and treating our bodies holistically so yoga sounds good to me 😊

[jackiesj]

TY