New research on personalized treatment for chronic back pain
Chronic back pain (CBP) affects millions of people around the world and has major impacts on the quality of life. A new study used data from the Million Veteran Program (MVP) to learn more about the genetic factors underlying chronic back pain (CBP). The research was led by VA Puget Sound Health Care System researchers, Pradeep Suri, MD, MSc (also a professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington) and Marianna Gasperi, Ph.D., (also an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UW), in collaboration with colleagues from a variety of institutions.
The study, a multi-ancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies, investigated the genetic factors underlying CBP, defined as back pain that lasts for more than three months. The study's sample group included 553,601 Military Veterans of African, European, and Hispanic ancestry. This unique sample allowed the research team to learn more about the genetic basis of CBP and to explore how these genetic risk factors are shared across or specific to different ancestral backgrounds.
The study identified 67 new and 20 known genetic loci (specific locations on genes) that are significantly associated with chronic back pain. Of these, 43 independent genetic variants were confirmed in a separate analysis focused on spinal pain. One genetic variant uncovered by the study in the FOXP2gene showed a strong statistical association with chronic back pain. Four of the genes identified in this study are possible targets of existing drugs.
This study has shed new light on how genetic makeup could contribute to this common debilitating health concern. Studies show that chronic back pain is the fourth most common reason for disability in military veterans, primarily due to physical and psychological stressors that they experience during their service in the military.
By learning more about the genetic basis of CBP, this study hopes to pave the way toward personalized treatments where chronic back pain can be effectively managed.
The study is online now in Nature Communications.