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Common variants of catechol-O-methyltransferase influence patient-controlled analgesia usage and postoperative pain in patients undergoing total hysterectomy

The Pharmacogenomics Journal volume 16, pages 186–192 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene polymorphisms and haplotypes have been associated with both experimental and clinical pain phenotypes. In this prospective study, we investigated the association of three common polymorphisms with experimentally induced pressure pain, postoperative pain and amount of self-administered morphine in 973 patients who underwent scheduled total hysterectomy. DNA extracted from peripheral blood was genotyped for three COMT polymorphisms by Taqman assay or a PCR-based method. In the overall sample, rs4633 and rs4680 were significantly associated with morphine use, whereas rs4818 was associated with time-averaged pain scores. Statistically significant associations were found between COMT rs4633 and rs4680 genotypes and the amount of morphine self-administered through a patient-controlled analgesia pump. For rs4818, the only statistically significant association was with time-averaged pain scores. Haplotype analysis showed statistically significant association of the low pain sensitivity haplotype with time-averaged pain scores; and average pain sensitivity haplotype with total morphine and weight-adjusted morphine.

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Acknowledgements

This research is supported by grant no. KRAU158/2009, and grant nos NMRC/CPG/015/2005 and CG/RC001 from the National Medical Research Council, Ministry of Health, Republic of Singapore.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. KK Research Centre, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore

    E-C Tan & E C P Lim

  2. Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore

    E-C Tan, J C Allen, B-L Sng & A T Sia

  3. Department of Women’s Anaesthesia, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore

    C E Ocampo, B-L Sng & A T Sia

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  1. E-C Tan
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Correspondence to E-C Tan.

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Tan, EC., Lim, E., Ocampo, C. et al. Common variants of catechol-O-methyltransferase influence patient-controlled analgesia usage and postoperative pain in patients undergoing total hysterectomy. Pharmacogenomics J 16, 186–192 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/tpj.2015.33

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