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Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene polymorphisms are associated with baseline disability but not long-term treatment outcome in patients with chronic low back pain

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Abstract

Purpose

To examine the association between COMT and OPRM1 gene polymorphisms and pain and disability at baseline and long-term follow-up in patients treated for chronic low back pain (LBP).

Methods

371 of 767 unrelated European patients recruited from four randomised trials underwent genetic analyses at mean 11.4 years follow-up. 274 patients had fusion and 97 had non-operative treatment. Association analyses included disability, pain, five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the COMT gene, and one SNP in the OPRM1 gene. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, smoking, analgesics and treatment.

Results

Disability at baseline was significantly associated with COMT SNPs rs4818 (p = 0.02), rs6269 (p = 0.007), rs4633 (p = 0.04) rs2075507 (p = 0.009), two haplotypes (p < 0.002), age, gender and smoking (p ≤ 0.002). No significant associations with clinical variables were observed for OPRM1, or for COMT at long-term follow-up.

Conclusions

Results suggest that genetic factors are partly responsible for the variation in disability levels in patients presenting with chronic LBP being considered for surgery; in contrast, genetics has no influence on the long-term outcome of treatment.

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Acknowledgments

We thank department of Immunology Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet (IMMI), for providing us with the logistics for DNA purification and the Center for Interactive Genetics, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) Aas, for performing Sequenom analysis. AO Spine funds were received via the Hansjorg Wyss Research Award. In the UK, the study was also supported by Thames Valley Comprehensive Local Research Network for National Institutes for Health Research. In Norway, the Norwegian Research Council grant funds were received to support this work. We thank them for providing the financial support.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway

    Ahmad Omair

  2. Department of Research and Development, Spine Center Division, Schulthess Klinik, Zurich, Switzerland

    Anne F. Mannion

  3. Norwegian Computing Centre, Blindern, Oslo, Norway

    Marit Holden

  4. Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Jeremy Fairbank

  5. Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Ullevål, Oslo, Norway

    Benedicte A. Lie

  6. Spine Center Göteborg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Olle Hägg

  7. Neuro-ortopedic Center, Länssjukhuset Ryhov, Jönkö**, Sweden

    Peter Fritzell

  8. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Jens I. Brox

  9. Department of Pathology, Shifa College of Medicine, H-8/4, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Ahmad Omair

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  1. Ahmad Omair
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  2. Anne F. Mannion
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  4. Jeremy Fairbank
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Correspondence to Ahmad Omair.

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Omair, A., Mannion, A.F., Holden, M. et al. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene polymorphisms are associated with baseline disability but not long-term treatment outcome in patients with chronic low back pain. Eur Spine J 24, 2425–2431 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-3866-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-3866-5

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