Blood Sample Donations to Study the Role of Genes in Pain

NCT00341367 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 99990307003-AA-N070
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 320
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study attempts to identify genes that may increase or decrease the likelihood of sciatic pain (shooting pain down the leg) persisting 1 year after treatment of a herniated spinal disc. Many proteins in the nerves, spinal cord, and brain are involved in processing pain. These proteins vary slightly in different people. Animal studies have shown that rats and mice with certain types of proteins experience chronic pain after sciatic injury while those with other types do not. Better information about the role of genes in pain processing may lead to a test for the risk of chronic pain for specific individuals and more effective treatment approaches. This study will include people who participated in the Maine Lumbar Pain Study of the natural history of spinal pain. The Maine study included patients treated for sciatic pain caused by a herniated disc. In this study, patients who did not improve with medical treatment were referred for surgery to remove the disc. Of those referred for surgery, 275 elected to have the operation, and 232 did not. One year after surgical consultation, leg pain was reduced in 81 percent of patients who underwent surgery. Of those who declined surgery, 56 percent improved after 1 year. This study will look for genetic differences in the non-surgical group that might reveal differences among those who improved and those who did not. Participants will provide a blood sample (approximately 2 tablespoons) for genetic testing. They will also provide information on the ethnic background of their parents and grandparents. Different gene variants occur in different ethnic groups, so information on ethnic background will help researchers know what gene variants to look for. Participants will complete a questionnaire about their smoking history, because the same protein in the brain that responds to nicotine may also play a part in decreasing or increasing pain. Also, some surgeons believe that smoking can interfere with spinal bone healing. Information from this study will help resolve this question. ...

Conditions

Pain

Keywords

Analgesic; Back Pain; Lumbar Disc; Nerve; Radiculopathy

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Presented to Maine orthopedic or neurosurgeon approximately 10 years ago with complaint of sciatica and was enrolled in Maine Lumbar Spine Study.
• Outcome dataset includes ratings of low back and leg pain at baseline and at least one followup evaluation.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): lead

Study Sites (1)

Maine Health Information Center

South Portland, Maine, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Atlas SJ, Deyo RA, Keller RB, Chapin AM, Patrick DL, Long JM, Singer DE. The Maine Lumbar Spine Study, Part II. 1-year outcomes of surgical and nonsurgical management of sciatica. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1996 Aug 1;21(15):1777-86. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199608010-00011.

  PMID: 8855462 BACKGROUND

• Atlas SJ, Keller RB, Chang Y, Deyo RA, Singer DE. Surgical and nonsurgical management of sciatica secondary to a lumbar disc herniation: five-year outcomes from the Maine Lumbar Spine Study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2001 May 15;26(10):1179-87. doi: 10.1097/00007632-200105150-00017.

  PMID: 11413434 BACKGROUND

• Deyo RA. Low-back pain. Sci Am. 1998 Aug;279(2):48-53. doi: 10.1038/scientificamerican0898-48. No abstract available.

  PMID: 9674171 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pain; Back Pain; Radiculopathy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Nervous System Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 19, 2006
• First Posted: June 21, 2006
• Study Start: December 10, 2002
• Study Completion: March 11, 2010
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2010-03-11

Locations

US (1)