Association between estrogen receptor gene polymorphism and back pain intensity in female patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.
METHODS
Prospective study.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the possible association of estrogen receptor α (ERα) polymorphisms and pain intensity in symptomatic female degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) patients.


BACKGROUND
DS has been associated with a significant sex effect. Thus, several studies about the association between the ER gene and osteoarthritis have been reported. However, whether estrogen is associated with pain sensitivity is inconsistent in the existing literatures from both human and animal studies.


METHODS
The PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms, bone mineral density at the lumbar spine (LSBMD) and at the femoral neck (FNBMD), pain intensity at the leg and lower back, and radiologic and anthropometric findings were analyzed in 192 patients with DS.


RESULTS
There was a significant association between XbaI polymorphism and the visual analog scale score of back pain. The back pain visual analog scale in patients with a GG genotype was significantly higher than in patients with the AG (P<0.05) or the AA (P<0.05) genotypes. In addition, the presence of the CG haplotype was found to be associated with back pain intensity in the haplotype analysis of the PvuII and the XbaI polymorphisms of ERα.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the ERα gene polymorphism using XbaI restriction enzyme influences the perception of back pain in patients with DS.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea.
Hyoung Lok
HL
Roh
Jung Sub
JS
Lee
Kuen Tak
KT
Suh
Jeung Il
JI
Kim
Hong Seok
HS
Lee
Tae Sik
TS
Goh
Shi Hwan
SH
Park
D000368:Aged; D001416:Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013168:Spondylolisthesis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*
C506487:ESR1 protein, human; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha