Sources of Individual Differences in Pain

Pain is an immense clinical and societal challenge, and the key to understanding and treating it is variability. Robust interindividual differences are consistently observed in pain sensitivity, susceptibility to developing painful disorders, and response to analgesic manipulations. This review examines the causes of this variability, including both organismic and environmental sources. Chronic pain development is a textbook example of a gene-environment interaction, requiring both chance initiating events (e.g., trauma, infection) and more immutable risk factors. The focus is on genetic factors, since twin studies have determined that a plurality of the variance likely derives from inherited genetic variants, but sex, age, ethnicity, personality variables, and environmental factors are also considered.

Automated summary

Pain sensitivity, susceptibility to painful disorders, and response to pain treatments can vary greatly between individuals, with a plurality of the variance likely derived from genetic factors according to twin studies. The development of chronic pain is a classic example of gene-environment interaction, influenced by both chance initiating events and more immutable risk factors. In addition to genetics, factors such as sex, age, ethnicity, personality variables, and environmental influences play a role in the variability of pain experiences.