COMT rs4680 single nucleotide polymorphism, ethnicity, and age are associated with fibromyalgia in women

Abstract

To investigate the influence of the catechol-O-methyltransferase enzyme (COMT) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4680 (G/A) on fibromyalgia in women. In this observational study of case-control type 29 women with a diagnosis of FM (cases) and 31 healthy non-fibromyalgia women (controls). Sociodemographic and anthropometric data were collected, as well as data relating to Symptom Severity Scale and Generalized Pain Index and peripheral blood samples for DNA extraction; genotypic analyzes were performed by PCR-SSP. We observed that rs4680 AA genotype was more frequently observed in fibromyalgia than controls (p=0.02). The A allele was also more often present in the fibromyalgia participants than in their control peers (p = 0.03). There was a statistically significant association between race and FM sufferers, showing that those of white ethnicity had a 2.05 times greater chance of developing the syndrome than non-white individuals (p=0.03; CI 95% 0.93 – 4.53). A statistically significant correlation between age and FM was observed (rS=0.812, p=0.01). This study demonstrates that white women above the age of 45, who have the AA genotype or A-allele, presents a higher risk of developing FM, showing that this polymorphism of the COMT gene may be one of the risk factors for the fibromyalgia.