A single nucleotide polymorphism (Val158Met) of COMT leads to a three to four fold reduction in the activity of the enzyme and has been associated to modifications in the response to a pain stressor.
According with previous research, our findings revealed that haplotypes of the COMT gene and genotypes of the Val158Met polymorphism play a key role on pain sensitivity in FM patients.
Carriers of rs6269 AA, rs4633 TT, rs4818 CC, and rs4680 AA genotypes were characterized by the lowest preoperative scores related to pain intensity and lower pain intensity at 1 year after the surgery.
Current results indicated that the Val158Met polymorphism seems not to be a risk factor for the development of CTS; however, it was associated with increased perception of pain and higher disability scores.
Further the study suggested that evaluation of G472A allele of Mb.COMT gene in the patients undergoing sternotomy for monitoring pain in pre and post-surgical events.
Genetics-based personalized approaches to pain management have received a setback because of the nonreproducibility of functional genetic associations such as the pain-modulatory effect of the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) gene 472G>A single-nucleotide polymorphism.
In Chinese patients, the incidence of postsurgical pain was significantly higher in variant COMT rs4680 genotypes (P = 0.0007) but not in the Malay or Indian cohorts.
In the overall sample, rs4633 and rs4680 were significantly associated with morphine use, whereas rs4818 was associated with time-averaged pain scores.
In the present study, we used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to investigate the brain response to heat pain stimuli in 54 subjects genotyped for the common COMT val158met polymorphism (val/val = n 22, val/met = n 20, met/met = n 12).
It is shown that a polymorphism in the COMT gene, Rs4680 (Val158Met), influence pain sensitivity in human experimental pain and the efficacy for morphine in cancer pain treatment.
More generally, apart from one report that focused on pain-induced opioid release, this is the first functional neuroimaging study showing an effect of the COMT val158met polymorphism on cerebral pain processing.
Our results show that the COMT Val158Met polymorphism contributes to variability in pain sensitivity after cardiac surgery of morphine-treated patients in the intensive care unit, because Met-allele carriers were more sensitive to overall pain and procedure-related pain.
Patients with the COMT G472A-AA genotype (rs4680) and KCNJ6 A1032G-A allele (rs2070995) CLBP responded differently to opioid titration, with higher pain intensity requiring higher dosing.
Results show that the COMT rs4680 (val(158)met) polymorphism is most strongly associated with outcome measures, such that individuals with the minor A allele (met) exhibit reduced COMT activity, increased TMD risk, and increased musculoskeletal pain.
Results show that the COMT rs4680 (val(158)met) polymorphism is most strongly associated with outcome measures, such that individuals with the minor A allele (met) exhibit reduced COMT activity, increased TMD risk, and increased musculoskeletal pain.
The Val158Metrs4680 polymorphism does not appear to be involved in predisposition to suffer from migraine; however, this genetic factor may be involved in the phenotypic expression of chronic migraine, as anxiety, depression, and widespread pressure pain sensitivity were greater in those women with chronic, but not episodic, migraine with the Met/Met genotype.
The Val158Met polymorphism (rs4680) does not appear to be involved in predisposition to tension-type headache; however, this genetic factor may be involved in the pathogenesis expression of CTTH, as greater pressure pain sensitivity and higher depressive levels were found in CTTH carrying the Met/Met genotype.
The AA genotype of rs4680 or A_T_C_A/ A_T_C_A (rs6269_rs4633_ rs4818_rs4680) diplotype of COMT, combined with the AG genotype of OPRM1 A118G, showed significantly increased pressure pain threshold from butorphanol.
The association between COMT Val158Met polymorphism (rs4680) and the inter-individual differences in the response to opioid analgesic therapy was investigated in a cohort of 87 Italian paediatric patients receiving opioids for cancer pain (STOP Pain study).