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The following is a summary of “Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain shares a highly heritable latent pathway with atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness,” published in the December 2024 issue of Pain by Naeini et al. 

Chronic widespread pain (CWP) is a common condition associated with reduced life expectancy, and cardiovascular disease as a contributing factor.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to analyze the association between CWP and arterial stiffness and carotid plaque, exploring the potential influence of shared environmental or genetic factors.  

They included approximately 3,000 participants from the TwinsUK cohort, with data on CWP and measures of carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), carotid intima–media thickness (cIMT), and plaque. The relationship between CWP and cfPWV, cIMT, and plaque was assessed, UK Biobank data were used to replicate the findings. Cholesky decomposition and multivariate pathway twin models were applied. A 2-sample Mendelian randomization approach was used to evaluate the causal link between CWP and coronary artery disease.  

The results showed a significant association between chronic widespread pain (CWP) and increased carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), indicating arterial stiffening (odds ratio [OR] = 1.35, P = 0.012), as well as with carotid plaque presence (OR = 1.45, P = 0.00008). Twin modeling identified a shared latent factor and pathway for CWP, cfPWV, and carotid plaque, with genetic factors explaining 68% and 90% of the variation, respectively. The 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) suggested a potential causal link between CWP and coronary artery disease.  

Investigators concluded the individuals with CWP had an increased risk of arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis, suggesting that CWP contributed to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease through genetic factors. 

Source: journals.lww.com/pain/fulltext/9900/chronic_widespread_musculoskeletal_pain_shares_a.781.aspx