Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions and Nociplastic Pain

The study explores the genetic basis of nociplastic pain, a type of chronic pain prevalent in chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), using a large sample size of 578,561 from the UK Biobank. It identifies 663 SNPs across 15 genomic loci and 819 gene-tissue associations, indicating nociplastic pain as a complex, heritable trait with significant genetic overlap with multisite chronic pain and neuropathic pain, but less so with rheumatoid arthritis. The research highlights potential metabolic pathways and tissue enrichments, such as cardiac and thyroid tissues, involved in nociplastic pain, and suggests implications for understanding and treating chronic pain conditions. The findings emphasize the need for diverse genetic studies and address the stigma associated with chronic pain, particularly in women.