- Scientists have identified new genetic risk factors for fibromyalgia, a long-term chronic pain condition, after examining the DNA of over two million people globally.
- The research, led by a global team of experts, including those from King’s College London, suggests “that fibromyalgia represents a problem in pain processing”.
- Dr Michael Wainberg, an investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute and the University of Toronto, said: “For decades, patients have been dismissed or told their pain is simply psychological. Our findings confirm the condition has a clear biological basis.”
- A strong link was discovered between fibromyalgia risk and the HTT gene, which is also associated with Huntington’s disease.
- Dr Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong, assistant professor at Fred Hutch Cancer Centre, said: “Further research into triggers of fibromyalgia and corresponding changes in neural tissues will help understand what drives fibromyalgia and how to treat it.”
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