Posted on March 7, 2002 at 11:50 a.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — A new study under way at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) aims to determine if the sisters of women with fibromyalgia may be at greater risk for developing a heightened sensitivity to pain and if so, if one or more genes are associated with this increased risk. This is the first study examining sex-related genetic factors associated with fibromyalgia, a disorder characterized by chronic muscle pain and unusually high pain sensitivity.
“There is evidence that many women with fibromyalgia may have a genetically-influenced, impaired ability to inhibit pain,” says Laurence Bradley, Ph.D., professor of medicine with the Division of Clinical Immunology/Rheumatology at UAB. “There is also evidence that the disorder occurs more frequently among sisters, compared to brothers, of patients with fibromyalgia. If true, this points to a sex-related, genetic predisposition to the development of the disorder.”
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will enroll about 400 people — a group of women with fibromyalgia, a group of women without fibromyalgia, and the male and female siblings as well as the male partners of both groups of women. “We want to determine if siblings, especially sisters, also experience a greater sensitivity to pain,” says Bradley. “With partners, we want to see if there any effects on pain sensitivity associated with sharing the same environment with someone who has fibromyalgia.”
Participants in the study will undergo a series of brief tests to assess pain sensitivity They also will provide blood samples that will be used to measure levels of serotonin, a substance involved in reducing pain, and to identify genetic factors that influence serotonin production. “In people with fibromyalgia, there is evidence of an abnormality in a particular gene which regulates the production of serotonin,” says Bradley. “If this holds true, it might help explain why people with fibromyalgia have unusually low levels of serotonin.”
Findings will provide researchers with a greater understanding of fibromyalgia and may help identify individuals who are at greater risk for unusually high pain sensitivity associated with the disorder. “The study may provide valuable information about genetic factors involved in the development of fibromyalgia which may influence future treatments for the disorder,” says Bradley. “However, we are likely to find that a complex system of genes influences vulnerability to pain in fibromyalgia.”
Following an initial screening, individuals enrolled in the study will make two visits to the clinic for assessment and testing. Each person will be compensated $150 for his or her participation. Women with fibromyalgia who have at least one male or female sibling and a spouse or male partner who are also interested in participating, please call (205) 934-9614.