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Causal relationship between educational attainment and chronic pain: A Mendelian randomization study.
1School of Marxism, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Medicine
|September 17, 2024
Summary
Higher educational attainment (EA) may causally reduce the risk of chronic pain. This genetic factor shows potential protection against multisite and widespread chronic pain, suggesting education can alleviate pain burdens.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Epidemiology
- Pain Research
Background:
- Educational attainment (EA) is a socioeconomic indicator linked to various diseases.
- The specific causal relationship between EA and chronic pain remains uncertain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential causal association between educational attainment and chronic pain using genetic data.
Main Methods:
- Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis utilizing the inverse-variance weighted method.
- Sensitivity analyses including MR-Egger intercept, Cochran Q, and MR-PRESSO to assess pleiotropy and heterogeneity.
Main Results:
- Genetically predicted higher EA was associated with a reduced risk of chronic pain.
- Significant reductions observed for multisite chronic pain (27.6%) and chronic widespread pain (3.8%).
- Sensitivity analyses confirmed the reliability of the causal estimates.
Conclusions:
- Higher educational attainment appears to offer a protective effect against the risk of developing chronic pain.
- Interventions focused on enhancing education and reducing socioeconomic disparities may help mitigate the public health burden of chronic pain.
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