Genetic study of pain interactions with comorbidities

Persistent pain accompanies many common clinical conditions, yet our ability to diagnose and manage the conditions is inadequate. Pain is one of the most complicated traits to measure, as it comprises several phenotypes associated with nervous system dynamics, stress responses, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. The prevalence of pain complaints rise with age. It is generally accepted that such complex traits result from the interplay between environment and genetic variants. However, little is known about the nature of genetic variants associated with pain and comorbidities, but recent discoveries do suggest a substantial role of genetics in pain. Our aim is to use the CLSA cohort to decipher relationships between pain, genetic predisposition and related comorbidities, and as a source of replication for our previous GWAS findings. This will provide unique opportunities to identify genetic variants contributinig to clustering of pain and associated conditions.