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Fibromyalgia has 'clear biological basis' - genetic study
Researchers found DNA variants in 26 genome regions and a strong HTT gene link, offering new clues to fibromyalgia risk and treatment.
A landmark study published in Nature Medicine identified DNA variants in 26 regions of the genome linked to fibromyalgia risk, providing the strongest evidence that fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder rather than an autoimmune disease.
For decades, patients have been "dismissed" or told their pain was psychological, but the condition has lacked clear biological explanation until now. This study confirms fibromyalgia has a clear biological basis in nervous system dysfunction.
The global research team analyzed genetic data from more than 2.5 million adults, including 55,000 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia, across 11 health studies spanning the US, UK, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Estonia.
Findings link fibromyalgia to the HTT gene, already the focus of drug trials for Huntington's disease, raising the possibility that existing pharmaceutical research could "eventually benefit people with fibromyalgia."
The Chronic Pain Genomics Consortium, led by Dr. Michael Wainberg and Dr. Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong, plans to investigate other chronic pain syndromes starting with pelvic pain, positioning fibromyalgia as the beginning of broader chronic pain research.