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Fibromyalgia has 'clear biological basis' - genetic study
🇮🇪 Ireland /Health & Science

Fibromyalgia has 'clear biological basis' - genetic study

From RTÉ News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A large genetic study involving over two million people has identified new risk factors for fibromyalgia.
  • Researchers confirmed fibromyalgia has a clear biological basis, challenging the notion that it is purely psychological.
  • The findings could lead to improved identification and treatment methods for the chronic pain condition.

Scientists have uncovered new genetic risk factors for fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, in the largest study of its kind. The research, which analyzed the DNA of more than two million individuals across the UK, US, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Estonia, provides strong evidence that fibromyalgia has a clear biological basis.

By studying the DNA of over two million individuals, we can be confident that the findings are real and they suggest that fibromyalgia represents a problem in pain processing.

— Frances WilliamsCo-senior author and professor of genomic epidemiology at King's College London, on the significance of the genetic study.

Experts stated that people with fibromyalgia have often been dismissed or told their pain is psychological. However, this study, involving approximately 55,000 individuals diagnosed with the condition, found that it "represents a problem in pain processing." Dr. Michael Wainberg of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute commented, "For decades, patients have been dismissed or told their pain is simply psychological. Our findings confirm the condition has a clear biological basis."

The study identified DNA sequence variants in 26 regions of the genome that affect the risk of developing fibromyalgia. Notably, it uncovered a strong link between fibromyalgia risk and the HTT gene, mutations of which cause Huntington's disease. Another identified variant points to a receptor that regulates HTT levels, a target already being investigated for Huntington's disease treatments.

For decades, patients have been dismissed or told their pain is simply psychological. Our findings confirm the condition has a clear biological basis.

— Dr Michael WainbergInvestigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, on the implications of the study for understanding fibromyalgia.

Researchers hope these findings will pave the way for better methods to identify and treat fibromyalgia in the future. The study also suggests a potential genetic overlap between fibromyalgia and other conditions like lower back pain and irritable bowel syndrome, indicating that targeting shared biological mechanisms could benefit multiple chronic pain syndromes. Frances Williams, a co-senior author and professor at King's College London, stated, "By studying the DNA of over two million individuals, we can be confident that the findings are real and they suggest that fibromyalgia represents a problem in pain processing."

This study provides...

— Prof WilliamsConcluding remarks on the study's findings regarding shared mechanisms in chronic pain syndromes.
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Originally published by RTÉ News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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