The fibromyalgia family study: a genome-wide linkage scan study

Abstract

Objective: Familial aggregation of fibromyalgia has been increasingly recognized. The goal of this study was to conduct a genome-wide linkage scan to identify susceptibility loci for fibromyalgia.

Methods: We genotyped members of 116 families from the Fibromyalgia Family Study and performed a model-free genome-wide linkage analysis of fibromyalgia with 341 microsatellite markers, using the Haseman-Elston regression approach.

Results: The estimated sibling recurrence risk ratio (λs ) for fibromyalgia was 13.6 (95% confidence interval 10.0-18.5), based on a reported population prevalence of 2%. Genome-wide suggestive evidence of linkage was observed at markers D17S2196 (empirical P [Pe ]=0.00030) and D17S1294 (Pe=0.00035) on chromosome 17p11.2-q11.2.

Conclusion: The estimated sibling recurrence risk ratio (λs ) observed in this study suggests a strong genetic component of fibromyalgia. This is the first report of genome-wide suggestive linkage of fibromyalgia to the chromosome 17p11.2-q11.2 region. Further investigation of these multicase families from the Fibromyalgia Family Study is warranted to identify potential causal risk variants for fibromyalgia.

Figure 1

Results of genome-wide multipoint linkage scan for Fibromyalgia. For each chromosome (chr), genetic distance (cM) and −log₁₀(P) are plotted on the X- and Y-axes, respectively. Horizontal line is drawn at P = 0.00074, the Lander and Kruglyak’s criterion for suggestive linkage.

Figure 2

Detailed multipoint linkage results for Fibromyalgia on Chromosome 17. Horizontal line is drawn at P = 0.00074, the Lander and Kruglyak’s criterion for suggestive linkage.