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Researchers have identified hundreds of variants in a patient's genetic code that predict which people are more susceptible to persistent chronic pain following amputation.

Dr. Andrew D. Shaw, associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, and colleagues conducted the study on 49 military service members who had amputations and persistent pain.

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) states that 80% of all amputees experience pain in the missing body part - known as phantom limb pain.

Patients complain that the pain is similar to that prior to amputation and is more likely to occur after the amputation of a chronically painful limb.

The IASP explains that large-scale surveys of amputees have revealed that treatments for phantom limb pain are often ineffective, suggesting that they fail to address the underlying mechanisms.

The new Duke University Medical Center study claims that new DNA sequence variations may be "pathways of biological importance as the possible source of chronic, persistent pain."

Dr. Shaw explains:

"Persistent phantom pain after amputation is a serious problem with no effective treatments. By identifying these 'pain genes,' we may be able to discover the reasons why pain occurs and predict which patients are more likely to have it. In the future, we hope to discover the biology of persistent pain and develop ways to combat it."

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'Pain genes' identified by DNA sequencing

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