Blood Test for Fibromyalgia: What You Need to Know

The FM/a test is still new and subject to research. Many doctors don’t use it yet, and insurers may not cover the cost. Doctors may still use current diagnostic criteria as confirmation.

Fibromyalgia is a neurologic condition that causes pain across most or all of the body. A neurologic condition is one that affects the nervous system.

Fibromyalgia affects 2 to 4 percent of people. More women than men have the condition.

The primary symptoms of fibromyalgia are:

Even though fibromyalgia is a common condition, it’s very challenging to diagnose.

Diagnosis can be a lengthy process of ruling out other diseases and medical conditions. This process could even take years for some people.

In the past, fibromyalgia hasn’t had a specific diagnostic test. However, some doctors and researchers think they may have found one in the FM/a test.

Let’s take a look at current methods of reaching a diagnosis of fibromyalgia as well as the FM/a test.

The symptoms of fibromyalgia are often similar to those of other conditions. Before your healthcare provider considers a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, they’ll want to rule out these conditions.

The conditions that have symptoms that resemble fibromyalgia are:

These conditions can be diagnosed, or ruled out, through blood tests.

Some blood tests your healthcare provider may order to rule out other conditions include:

If these tests are negative for these similar conditions, your healthcare provider will start looking more at a possible fibromyalgia diagnosis.

There have been some promising studies on a possible diagnostic blood test for fibromyalgia. It’s called an FM/a test.

The test collects plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in a small sample of your blood. It tests the concentration of cytokines within your blood sample.

Significantly lower levels of cytokines may be an indicator of fibromyalgia. Abnormal levels of cytokines have been linked to being a trait in people with fibromyalgia.

Because of this link, researchers are hoping that the FM/a test may prove to be a way to more definitively diagnosis fibromyalgia.

The research that has been done up to this point does show promise that the FM/a test may be able to diagnose fibromyalgia.

However, more clinical trials need to be done before this test will be fully recognized as a diagnostic tool for fibromyalgia.

There are some steps that you can take to help determine if you might have fibromyalgia.

These steps are part of the diagnostic criteria and information that your healthcare provider will need to know before being able to give you a correct diagnosis.

Gathering this information before making an appointment will help your healthcare provider better determine the next steps in your diagnosis.

Some of the steps to test yourself are:

After you collect this information, if you think you may have fibromyalgia, it’s recommended that you make an appointment to see your healthcare provider.

They’ll ask you a number of questions. The information gathered in your journal will help you answer those questions.

Currently, most healthcare providers still use the traditional criteria for diagnosing fibromyalgia.

This diagnostic process includes:

The FM/a test is still new and subject to research. Many healthcare providers may not use it yet, and some insurance companies may not cover the cost.

However, even with the FM/a test, it’s likely that your healthcare provider will still use the current diagnostic criteria as confirmation.

Primary care healthcare providers are now much more familiar with fibromyalgia and its symptoms than they were in the past.

This familiarity will likely help you to get a diagnosis more quickly, while the FM/a test continues through additional clinical trials.

If you’re interested in having the FM/a test, talk to your healthcare provider. It may be an option for you.

Your healthcare provider may also recommend that you get some information on possibly participating in a clinical trial for the test.

How and When to Test Your Blood Sugar With Diabetes

Most people with diabetes should test their blood sugar (aka blood glucose) levels regularly. Knowing the results lets you adjust your strategy for keeping the disease in check.

Regular testing can also help you avoid getting long-term health problems that can stem from the condition, like:

Research shows that in people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, sticking to your target blood sugar and HbA1c levels makes complications less likely.

There are several ways to test your blood sugar:

From your fingertip: You prick your finger with a small, sharp needle (called a lancet) and put a drop of blood on a test strip. Then you put the test strip into a meter that shows your blood sugar level. You get results in less than 15 seconds and can store this information for 

future use. Some meters can tell you your average blood sugar level over a period of time and show you charts and graphs of your past test results. You can get blood sugar meters and strips at your local pharmacy.

Meters that test other sites: Newer meters let you test sites other than your fingertip, such as your upper arm, forearm, base of the thumb, and thigh. You may get different results than from your fingertip. Blood sugar levels in the fingertips show changes more quickly than those in other testing sites. This is especially true when your blood sugar is rapidly changing, like after a meal or after exercise. If you are checking your sugar when you have symptoms of hypoglycemia, you should use your fingertip if possible, because these readings will be more accurate.

Continuous glucose monitoring system: These devices, also called interstitial glucose measuring devices, are combined with insulin pumps. They are similar to finger-stick glucose results and can show patterns and trends in your results over time.

You may need to check your blood sugar several times a day, such as before meals or exercise, at bedtime, before driving, and when you think your blood sugar levels are low.

Everyone is different, so ask your doctor when and how often you should check your blood sugar. If you're sick, you'll probably need to test your blood sugar more often.

If you have certain conditions, like anemia or gout, or if it's hot or humid or you're at a high altitude, that can affect your blood sugar levels.

If you keep seeing unusual results, recalibrate your meter and check the test strips.

The chart below gives you an idea of where your blood sugar level should be throughout the day. Your ideal blood sugar range may be different from another person's and will change throughout the day.

Home Blood Glucose Monitoring and HbA1c

Monitoring your HbA1c level is also important for diabetes control. Many home glucose monitors can display an average blood glucose reading, which correlates with the HbA1c.

Average Blood Glucose Level (mg/dL)

HbA1c (%)

126

6

154

7

183

8

212

9

240

10

269

11

298

12

Ask your doctor about your target blood sugar range, and make a plan for how to handle blood sugar readings that are either too high or too low and when to call your doctor. Learn about the symptoms of high or low blood sugar, and know what you can do if you begin to have symptoms.

Keep good records of any blood, urine, or ketone tests you do. Most glucose monitors also have a memory. Your records can alert you to any problems or trends. These test records help your doctor make any needed changes in your meal plan, medicine, or exercise program. Bring these records with you every time you see your doctor.

Do You Still Need to Test for COVID-19?

Even though COVID-19 is no longer considered a public health emergency, experts encourage maintaining certain health protocols to keep everyone healthy and safe. 

This includes continuing to test for COVID-19, particularly if you are experiencing any symptoms related to the virus or happen to have a known exposure to someone who is COVID-positive, Pragna Patel, MD, MPH, chief medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Health in an email.

“Testing can be helpful even when you don’t have symptoms or recent exposure to COVID-19, such as before an event or visiting someone at higher risk,” Dr. Patel said. 

Other experts add that continuing to follow health protocols like isolating at home and testing can protect and prevent other people from getting infected and sick, including friends or loved ones who are immunocompromised.

“If you have people in your life who potentially could have huge complications from getting COVID infected and you’re going to see them, I think it would be worth knowing what it is that you have,” Yuka Manabe, MD, director of the Center for Innovative Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told Health. 

Getty Images / Grace Cary

Dr. Patel reiterated that testing is recommended for anyone who has symptoms related to COVID, as well as individuals who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. 

People who have had exposure to someone known or suspected of having COVID-19 “should be tested at least 5 days after the exposure,” Dr. Patel explained. If symptoms develop after 5 days, they should get tested immediately. 

Testing can also be useful even if you don’t have any symptoms or recent exposure to COVID-19, Dr. Manabe said. For example, if you live with or plan to visit someone at higher risk or have a large gathering coming up like a wedding, knowing whether or not you have COVID can protect yourself and others.

“I think testing early before you have symptoms would be ideal, especially if you have other people in your household that you want to protect, because you know the superpower of COVID and that it can be transmitted even when the person is asymptomatic,” Dr. Manabe added.

If you are asymptomatic but plan to take a COVID-19 test, Dr. Patel recommended testing as close to the time of the event as possible (at least 1–2 days before) to help you make informed decisions about your health and your risk of spreading the virus to others.

“If you use an antigen test, follow recommendations for repeat testing to be confident in a negative result,” she said. Additionally, some places may test people without symptoms or recent exposure to help keep COVID-19 from spreading to others, mainly those who are at higher risk for severe illness. 

Additionally, people who suspect they have the flu or allergies may also want to consider taking a COVID-19 test, especially because symptoms related to these illnesses overlap.

“Coughing and a runny nose are symptoms of both COVID-19 and allergies, which can make things confusing,” Dr. Patel clarified. “Because there is an overlap in symptoms with colds and COVID-19, taking a COVID-19 test can help determine what is causing your illness.”

While these are the situations in which experts recommend people to take a test, it’s important to note that anyone curious to find out whether or not they have COVID-19 can take one, Jorge Salinas, MD, assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Stanford University, told Health.

There are still many options available for COVID-19 testing, including PCR tests and antigen tests, Dr. Salinas said. But according to the CDC, PCR tests are considered the “gold standard” because they are more likely to detect the virus than antigen tests.

Samples collected in a PCR test are usually taken by a healthcare provider and then transported to a laboratory for testing, which can take up to 3 days for patients to receive results.

However, Dr. Salinas said home antigen tests are likely to be the “most convenient testing approach” for most people who are looking to get tested because they can produce results within 15 to 30 minutes. 

Dr. Patel noted that positive results from rapid antigen tests are usually very accurate and reliable, however, they are less likely to detect the virus than PCR tests, especially when symptoms are not present. 

“Therefore, a single negative antigen test cannot rule out infection,” she said. “To be confident you do not have COVID-19, [the] FDA recommends two negative antigen tests for individuals with symptoms or three antigen tests for those without symptoms, performed 48 hours apart.” 

If you would like to take an antigen test, there are many self and at-home test options available for purchase online or in pharmacies and retail stores. Dr. Patel recommended any testing options that are recommended by the CDC and authorized and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Dr. Patel added that people can also visit community-based testing locations such as a pharmacy or health center to schedule a testing appointment. “These locations may offer PCR or antigen tests, and provide low- or no-cost testing for everyone, including people without insurance.” 

PCR or antigen tests may also be available through your local health department.

Dr. Patel confirmed the reliability of self-test results, specifically when the result is positive. However, negative results from these tests don’t necessarily rule out that you could have an infection. People who receive a negative result may want to consider repeat testing.

“Invalid results from self-tests mean the test did not work properly and you need to take a new test to get an accurate result,” Dr. Patel explained. 

Before taking a rapid test at home, it’s important to check the expiration date. If a test or any part of the test kit is expired, it could give inaccurate or invalid test results.

Dr. Patel said that most tests will have a label on the test kit with an expiration date. In addition, individuals can check online by looking at the expiration date column in the FDA’s list of authorized at-home OTC COVID-19 diagnostic tests. That list will also show if the expiration date for the test has been extended.

“As long as they’re not expired, the tests are reliable. Though no test is perfect, and if persistently symptomatic, someone can test more than once over consecutive days,” Dr. Salinas reiterated. 

If you still have questions about COVID-19 testing, such as when it would be a good time to take a test or what testing option is best for you, experts recommend talking with a healthcare provider.