Posted by MERM on 6/21/2008, 11:23 am
1/Family study of fibromyalgia.
OBJECTIVE: To assess for familial aggregation of fibromyalgia (FM) and measures of tenderness and pain, and for familial coaggregation of FM and major mood disorder (major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder).
METHODS: Probands meeting the American College of Rheumatology criteria for FM and control probands with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and no lifetime diagnosis of FM were recruited from consecutive referrals to 2 community-based rheumatology practices.
Probands were ages 40-55 years and had at least 1 first-degree relative age 18 years or older who was available for interview and examination.
All probands and interviewed relatives underwent a dolorimeter tender point examination and a structured clinical interview. Interviewed relatives were asked about first-degree relatives who were not available for interview, using a structured family interview.
Logistic and linear regression models, adjusting for the correlation of observation within families, were applied to study the aggregation and coaggregation effects.
RESULTS: Information was collected for 533 relatives of 78 probands with FM and 272 relatives of 40 probands with RA.
FM aggregated strongly in families:
the odds ratio (OR) measuring the odds of FM in a relative of a proband with FM versus the odds of FM in a relative of a proband with RA was 8.5 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.8-26, P = 0.0002).
The number of tender points was significantly higher, and the total myalgic score was significantly lower in the relatives of probands with FM compared with the relatives of probands with RA.
FM coaggregated significantly with major mood disorder: the OR measuring the odds of major mood disorder in a relative of a proband with FM versus the odds of major mood disorder in a relative of a proband with RA was 1.8 (95% CI 1.1-2.9, P = 0.013).
CONCLUSION: FM and reduced pressure pain thresholds aggregate in families, and FM coaggregates with major mood disorder in families.
These findings have important clinical and theoretical implications, including the possibility that genetic factors are involved in the etiology of FM and in pain sensitivity.
In addition, mood disorders and FM may share some of these inherited factors.
2/Absence of association of the serotonin transporter gene polymorphism with the mentally healthy subset of fibromyalgia patients.
The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene is considered to be a promising candidate for genetic involvement in some mood disorders owing to its role in the regulation of serotoninergic neurotransmission
. In this study, we aimed to assess the significance of the 5-HTT gene in fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) as well as to find out whether the 5-HTT gene polymorphism is associated with this disease.
Fifty-three mentally healthy fibromyalgia patients and 60 unrelated healthy volunteer controls were included in the study.
Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and State and Trait Anxiety Inventory tests (STAI-I and II) were applied to both patients and controls.
A PCR analysis of 5-HTT gene polymorphism was performed, and the results of the patients with FS and healthy controls were compared. In both FS patients and healthy controls the S/S, S/L and L/L alleles of the 5-HTTLPR genotype were represented in 24.5 % and 33%, 56.6% and 38.3%, and 18.9% and 28.3%, respectively.
Additionally, in FS patients and healthy controls the 10/10, 10/12 and 12/12 alleles of the VNTR variant were represented in 5.9% and 11.7, 51% and 36.7%, and 43.1% and 51.7%, respectively.
The 5-HTTLPR and VNTR results of the patients and controls were not significantly different ( P>0.05).
We concluded that neither 5-HTT nor its polymorphism is associated with FS.
Our results also address the frequencies of 5-HTT gene alleles in our population.
Further studies are required to better understand the genetic basis of FS.Clin Rheumatol. 2002 Jun;21(3):194-7.!M!wellnesstrain
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