Key Genes Identify Pain Tolerance

First Posted: Apr 21, 2014 10:15 AM EDT
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Do you easily flinch at the slightest signs of pain? Toughening up may not be so easy for those that wince at the sight of a needle.

A recent study shows that key genes play an important role in just how high or low an individual's pain tolerance may be.

"Our study is quite significant because it provides an objective way to understand pain and why different individuals have different pain tolerance levels," said study author Tobore Onojjighofia, MD, MPH, with Proove Biosciences and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, according to Science Daily. "Identifying whether a person has these four genes could help doctors better understand a patient's perception of pain."

For the study, researchers evaluated 2,721 people diagnosed with chronic pain for certain genes. All individuals were taking opioid medication to lessen pain coming from the following genes: COMT, DRD2, DRD1, and OPRK1. All participants were asked to rate their perception of pain based on a scale of zero to 10, with 10 being the worst pain and zero being the least.

Findings showed that 9 percent of participants had low pain perception, while 46 percent had moderate pain perception. Another 45 percent had high pain perception.

For those experiencing different ranges of pain, some genes played more of a role than others. The DRD1 gene variant was more prevalent in the low pain group at 33 percent, while the COMT and OPRK variants were more common in the moderate pain groups at 25 percent and 19 percent. For those suffering from high pain perception, the gene variant DRD2 was most common at 25 percent.

"Chronic pain can affect every other part of life," Onojjighofia added, via the news organization. "Finding genes that may be play a role in pain perception could provide a target for developing new therapies and help physicians better understand their patients' perceptions of pain."

More information regarding the findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014. 

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