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Chronic Multisymptom Illness

Chronic Multisymptom Illness, also known as CMI, include regional and organ-specific symptoms and syndromes that often accompany fibromyalgia.

Researchers define chronic multisymptom illness as the presence, for 6 months or longer, of one or more symptoms from at least two of the following clusters: general fatigue, mood and cognitive abnormalities, and musculoskeletal pain.

CMI is very difficult to diagnose because there is an overlap of different syndromes such as:

• Fibromyalgia

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

• Exposure Syndromes such as Gulf War illnesses, sick building syndrome

• Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) - a chronic, recurring disease caused by a person's inability to tolerate an environmental chemical or class of foreign chemicals. MCS causes negative health effects in multiple organ systems. Respiratory distress, seizures, cognitive dysfunction, heart arrhythmia, nausea, headache, and fatigue can result from exposure to levels of common chemicals that are normally deemed as safe.

• Somatoform Disorders which involve multiple unexplained symptoms with no organic findings

• Symptomatic arthralgias

• Dyspepsia

• Metabolic syndromes

The graphic below shows the overlap of different syndromes.

The chart below shows the different symptoms and syndromes that can be included in chronic multi-symptom illnesses.

 

Information provided by UMHS Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, May, 2007