Researchers have developed a reliable way to use a finger-stick blood sample to detect fibromyalgia syndrome, a complicated pain disorder that often is difficult to diagnose. If it were someday made available to primary care physicians, the test could reduce the wait for a diagnosis by up to five years, researchers predict.
In a pilot study published in the journal Analyst, researchers used a high-powered and specialized microscope to detect the presence of small molecules in blood-spot samples from patients known to have fibromyalgia. By “training” the equipment to recognize that molecular pattern, they then showed that the microscope could tell the difference between fibromyalgia and two types of arthritis that share some of the same symptoms. Though more analysis is needed to identify exactly which molecules are related to development of the disorder itself, the researchers say their pilot data are promising.
The technology used in this work is infrared microspectroscopy, which identifies the biochemical content of a blood sample based on where peaks of molecules appear in the infrared spectrum. The technology offers hints at the molecules present in the samples based on how molecular bonds vibrate when they are struck by light. The spectroscopy works on dried blood, so just a few drops from a finger stick produce enough blood to run this test.
“The importance of producing a faster diagnosis cannot be overstated. Just getting the diagnosis actually makes patients feel better and lowers costs because of reductions in anxiety,” says Kevin Hackshaw, MD, associate professor of medicine, division of rheumatology and immunology, at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center, and lead author of the study. Read the study abstract.
