Does Pain Have a Genetic Cause?

Your body feels pain when it's exposed to pain-causing substances or circumstances, such as stepping on a sharp rock or touching a hot stove. However, it's technically not the affected or injured part of your body that does the "feeling" but rather nerves in the brain that tell you that you're feeling pain and how you should react to it. Researchers have found that people with a certain gene are more likely to experience chronic pain than others because of the way certain genes interact with the body's neurons. Other studies show that some genes impact the body's inflammatory response to certain stimuli and that this heightened response amplifies the body's sensitivity to pain signals. Furthermore, additional research has shown that certain genetic mutations can eliminate the sensation of pain in the body, providing lasting relief for people who suffer from chronic pain with no identifiable physical cause.

How Does Genetic Make-Up Affect Reactions to Pain Medications?

Doctors have long known that some people react better to pain medications than others. In many instances, differences in reaction have been attributed to factors such as a patient's gender, body mass and smoking habits. However, in time, scientists have come to realize that genetic make-up can also affect the way a person's body absorbs, distributes, and metabolizes medications. While it's not the only factor, it is an important one and understanding this has opened an entire new medical field, called pharmacogenetics. It's in the early stages of development but has a lot of potential to help primary care providers identify the best medications to treat just about any type of condition, not just chronic pain.

Pharmacogenetic testing for pain medication is as simple as collecting a saliva sample from a patient and analyzing the DNA to determine the potential reaction to any type of pain medication. In many cases, this means looking at how your body would metabolize a particular medication. If your metabolism is slower than normal, you could have a negative reaction as the medication builds up in your body. Conversely, if your metabolism is too fast, your body may eliminate the medication before it has the chance to do you much good. Pharmacogenetic testing can be used to identify the presence of genes that affect your body's opioid receptors. This testing would help doctors not just pick the right medication but also the right dosage and the best length of time for patients to take a particular medication.

The Challenges Involved in Gene Testing for Chronic Pain Relief

Genetic testing has come a long way over the last few decades, but there is more work to be done before it becomes a commonplace way to diagnose and treat chronic pain. For example, doctors cannot contemplate using modern technology to eliminate certain genes without knowing for certain that the process won't affect anything else in a patient's body. Further advances are also needed in the field of genetic testing for pain medication, as PCPs need to know not only how to collect test samples but also properly interpret the results.

Additionally, experts caution that gene testing for diagnosing and treating pain should only be one tool doctors use to help their patients. It's not uncommon for chronic pain to have more than one root cause, and doctors need to not only identify all the causes but also pinpoint environmental and lifestyle factors that could be making matters worse. Holistic treatment is still in order to ensure the best possible results for a patient's long-term health. At the same time, genetic testing for chronic pain relief could very well be the norm in the coming years as doctors move away from "one size fits all" treatment options to provide personalized care that meets each patient's specific needs in the safest, most effective manner.