1. Research Question and Objective:
Chronic pain and sleep disorders affect billions globally, substantially impacting quality of life and healthcare systems. These conditions frequently co-exist and may share common pathophysiological pathways with various systemic diseases, yet their complex etiology and disease associations remain poorly understood. The genetic architecture and its interaction with environmental factors in these conditions are particularly unclear.
2. To address these knowledge gaps, this study aims to:
1) Identify genetic and modifiable risk factors for chronic pain and sleep disorders using genetic and epidemiological data
2) Develop polygenic risk scores (PRS) to assess genetic predisposition to these conditions
3) Investigate the gene-environment interactions and their impact on disease development
4) Examine the bidirectional relationships between chronic pain, sleep disorders, and major systemic diseases
3. Scientific Rationale:
The UK Biobank’s extensive dataset, including genetic profiles, detailed lifestyle factors, and longitudinal health outcomes, enables us to conduct a comprehensive investigation of these complex conditions. The availability of measured and imputed genotypes allows for robust genetic analyses, including PRS development and gene-environment interaction studies. This study will focus on multiple pain conditions (including chronic widespread pain, neuropathic pain) and sleep disorders (including insomnia, sleep apnea), examining their genetic architecture and associations with cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, neurological conditions, and mental health problems.