TY - JOUR

T1 - A Mendelian randomization study finds no evidence for causal effects of C-reactive protein on chronic pain conditions

AU - Suri, Pradeep

AU - Tsepilov, Yakov A

AU - Elgaeva, Elizaveta E

AU - Williams, Frances M K

AU - Freidin, Maxim B

AU - Stanaway, Ian B

N1 - VA I01RX0004291/VA Puget Sound Health Care System University of Washington Clinical Learning, Evidence and Research NIAMS P30AR072572/GF/NIH HHS/United States VA/VA/United States NH/NIH HHS/United States Wellcome Sanger Institute FWNR-2022-0020/Institute of Cytology and Genetics Russian Science Foundation 22-15-20037/Government of the Novosibirsk 22467/VAC_/Versus Arthritis/United Kingdom

PY - 2025/4/1

Y1 - 2025/4/1

N2 - The discovery of useful pain biomarkers is a critical step toward finding better options for pain management. C-reactive protein (CRP) has been widely studied as a biomarker in musculoskeletal conditions.1–3 Many studies of CRP as a biomarker for pain conditions have had limitations such as small sample sizes, not accounting for multiple statistical comparisons, limited adjustment for potential confounders, and cross-sectional designs that cannot inform about temporality.The attention paid to CRP in studies of pain may be due to CRP’s widespread availability, but convenience is not a compelling reason to study a biomarker. Resources spent examining mechanistic biomarkers without a strong conceptual rationale are more likely to produce null findings and waste resources.With this in mind, we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to examine causal associations of CRP with 3 pain-related conditions: (1) spinal pain; (2) extent of multisite chronic pain; and (3) chronic widespread pain.

AB - The discovery of useful pain biomarkers is a critical step toward finding better options for pain management. C-reactive protein (CRP) has been widely studied as a biomarker in musculoskeletal conditions.1–3 Many studies of CRP as a biomarker for pain conditions have had limitations such as small sample sizes, not accounting for multiple statistical comparisons, limited adjustment for potential confounders, and cross-sectional designs that cannot inform about temporality.The attention paid to CRP in studies of pain may be due to CRP’s widespread availability, but convenience is not a compelling reason to study a biomarker. Resources spent examining mechanistic biomarkers without a strong conceptual rationale are more likely to produce null findings and waste resources.With this in mind, we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to examine causal associations of CRP with 3 pain-related conditions: (1) spinal pain; (2) extent of multisite chronic pain; and (3) chronic widespread pain.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105002829975&origin=inward&txGid=18b6b6823082f2ff0b4bf9579c3ea3d2

UR - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39589921/

U2 - 10.1093/pm/pnae122

DO - 10.1093/pm/pnae122

M3 - Article

C2 - 39589921

VL - 26

SP - 222

EP - 224

JO - Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.)

JF - Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.)

SN - 1526-2375

IS - 4

ER -