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The Role of Vitamin D in Pathophysiology and Treatment of Fibromyalgia

Current Pain and Headache Reports volume 17, Article number: 355 (2013) Cite this article

Abstract

Recent studies showed that most cells have receptors and enzymes responsible for metabolism of vitamin D. Several diseases have been linked to vitamin D deficiency, such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia. The association between fibromyalgia and vitamin D deficiency is very controversial in the literature with conflicting studies and methodological problems, which leads to more questions than answers. The purpose of this article is to raise questions about the association of hypovitaminosis D with fibromyalgia considering causal relationships, treatment, and pathophysiological explanations.

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Conflict of Interest

Carlos A S Jesus declares that he has no potential conflicts.

David Feder declares that he has no potential conflicts.

Mario F P Peres serves as a Section Editor for Current Pain and Headache Reports.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, UNIFESP, Rua Botucatu 740, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, 04023-900

    Carlos A. S. Jesus & Mario F. P. Peres

  2. Pharmacology Department, Faculdade de Medicina do ABC, Av. Principe de Gales, 821, Santo Andre, SP, Brazil, 09060-650

    David Feder

Authors
  1. Carlos A. S. Jesus
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  2. David Feder
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Correspondence to Carlos A. S. Jesus.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Fibromyalgia

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Jesus, C.A.S., Feder, D. & Peres, M.F.P. The Role of Vitamin D in Pathophysiology and Treatment of Fibromyalgia. Curr Pain Headache Rep 17, 355 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-013-0355-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-013-0355-6

Keywords

  • Fibromyalgia
  • Pain
  • Hypovitaminosis D
  • Vitamin D deficiency
  • Pathophysiology