title: Association between catechol-O-methyl transferase gene polymorphisms and fibromyalgia in a Korean population: A case-control study.
abstract: Although polymorphisms of the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) gene have been implicated in altered pain sensitivity, results concerning the association between COMT gene polymorphisms and fibromyalgia (FM) are equivocal. We assessed the associations between COMT single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and FM risk and symptom severity.
  
  
  
  In total, 409 FM patients and 423 controls were enrolled. Alleles and genotypes at five positions [rs6269 (A>G), rs4633 (C>T), rs4818 (C>G), rs4680 (C>G) and rs165599 (A>G)] in the COMT gene were genotyped from peripheral blood DNA.
  
  
  
  Alleles and genotypes of the rs4818 COMT gene polymorphism were significantly associated with increased susceptibility to FM. The rs4818 GG genotype was more strongly associated with FM compared to the CC genotype (OR = 1.680, 95% CI: 1.057, 2.672, p = 0.027). Although allele and genotype frequencies did not differ among groups, the rs4633 CT genotype was not associated with the presence of FM following adjustment for age and sex (OR = 0.745; 95% CI: 0.558, 0.995; p = 0.046). However, no association was observed between clinical measures and individual COMT SNPs. In haplotype analysis, there was a significant association between ACG haplotype and FM susceptibility sex (OR = 2.960, 95% CI: 1.447, 6.056, p = 0.003) and the number of tender points (p = 0.046).
  
  
  
  This large-scale study suggests that polymorphisms of the COMT gene may be associated with FM risk and pain sensitivity in Korean FM patients. However, our results differed to those of previous studies, suggesting ethnic variation in COMT gene polymorphisms in FM.
  
  
  
  By contrast to Caucasian and Latin-American populations, the COMT gene polymorphisms are associated with FM risk and pain sensitivity in Korean FM patients, suggesting ethnic variation in COMT gene polymorphisms.
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
authors: D J
authors: DJ
authors: Park
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors: S H
authors: SH
authors: Kim
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
authors: S S
authors: SS
authors: Nah
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Maryknoll Medical Center, Busan, Korea.
authors: J H
authors: JH
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors: S K
authors: SK
authors: Kim
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Y A
authors: YA
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors: S J
authors: SJ
authors: Hong
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors: H S
authors: HS
authors: Kim
authors: Hanyang University College of Medicine and the Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Seoul, Korea.
authors: H S
authors: HS
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Ajou University Hospital, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
authors: H A
authors: HA
authors: Kim
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Konyang University Medical School, Daejeon, Korea.
authors: C I
authors: CI
authors: Joung
authors: Departments of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, Daegu, Korea.
authors: S H
authors: SH
authors: Kim
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
authors: S S
authors: SS
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017288:Pain Threshold; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D056910:Republic of Korea
chemical_list: D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase