Interview with Dr. Daniel J. Clauw
University of Michigan Health System. Professor, Department of Internal Medicine. Rheumatology.
Taken from our FMS Global News site and conducted by Rick Usher. Thanks Rick
FMS Global News: Dr Clauw, thank you for taking the time to participate
in this interview. Could the recent genetic findings involving
fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome be inherited?
Dr. Clauw: Yes, there is overwhelming evidence that the tendency to
develop fibromyalgia and related disorders is inherited. People with
fibromyalgia are 8X more likely to have a close relative with fibromyalgia
than people without fibromyalgia.
FMS Global News: What percentage of people afflicted with fibromyalgia
actually recover from the illness?
Dr. Clauw: We don't have a good figure. We know that about half of
people in the community who develop chronic widespread pain have this go
away, but once people develop full-blown fibromyalgia, this is usually
something that they'll have forever. This is actually no different than
most chronic medical conditions.
FMS Global News: Has your research lead to any data that can be used to
create new medications, and if so, when would you expect those
medications to become available to the public?
Dr. Clauw: Our research has not directly led to any new medications,
but we have helped work with many companies that are developing new
drugs for fibromyalgia. It is likely that in the next few years that there
will be 3 - 4 drugs specifically approved for fibromyalgia - now there
are none.
FMS Global News: Are there any plans for developing a simple
diagnostic procedure?
Dr. Clauw: No, but with some modest training, most health care
providers can easily diagnose fibromyalgia. It's treating it that they often
struggle with, and the new drugs as well as education campaigns that
will accompany the drugs, will be very helpful in this regard.
FMS Global News: Your last press release stated that 2-4% of americans
are afflicted with fibromyalgia, would you expect similar findings on
a global basis?
Dr. Clauw: Yes, the prevalence of fibromyalgia is remarkably
consistent at 2 - 4% of the population, in different countries, cultures, and
socioeconomic situations.
FMS Global News: What can fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue sufferer's
look forward to in the area of future research?
Dr. Clauw: I think the future is very bright, though there is
significantly more work ongoing in fibromyalgia than CFS.
FMS Global News: Once again Dr. Clauw, thank you for taking the time
to participate in this interview, and a special thanks to Katie Gazella
at the University of Michigan public relations department for setting
up this interview.
Dr. Clauw oversees a multidisciplinary group that performs both
mechanistic studies and clinical trials in overlapping conditions
characterized by chronic pain and fatigue, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue
syndrome, and Gulf War Illnesses. Dr. Clauw has been the P.I. of NIH
and Department of Defense grants studying this spectrum of illness
continuously since 1994. The Center currently has several million dollars per
year in federal funding to study these disorders. Dr. Clauw and his
group have been instrumental in establishing that the systemic conditions
noted above, and regional pain syndromes such as interstitital
cystitis, low back pain, and irritable bowel syndrome all have common
pathogenic and clinical features. One of the primary areas of interest of his
group has been in studying sensory processing in these conditions, and in
demonstrating that many patients with these conditions have a
widespread disturbance in pain processing. Current work is establishing the
nature of the central pain processing abnormality in these conditions,
using a variety of approaches, including functional MRI. Dr. Clauw also
directs the Center for the Advancement of Clinical Research (CACR) at the
University of Michigan. The CACR provides infrastructure and support
for clinical and translational research for the Medical School from
protocol development through subject recruitment, performance, and
monitoring of study conduct, to data management and analysis.
Degree: M.D., 1985, University of Michigan
Residency: 1988, Georgetown University Medical School
Fellowship: Rheumatology, 1990, Georgetown University Medical Center
Certifications: 1988, Internal Medicine 1990, Rheumatology
Faculty Appointment Date: 4/8/2003
Academic office address Domino's Farms
24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive Room Lobby M Ann Arbor, MI 48106-385
Academic office telephone: (734)936-5561
Academic office FAX: (734)615-5308
Information supplied by the University of Michigan Department of
Internal Medicine.
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