Possible association of fibromyalgia with a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene regulatory region

Objective. To analyze the genotypes of the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT) in patients with fibromyalgia (FM), Methods. Genomic DNA from 62 patients meeting the American College of Rheum atology 1990 criteria for FM and 110 healthy controls was analyzed by polym erase chain reaction. Additionally, the psychopathologic state of 52 of the FM patients was evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and th e Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Results. The 5-HTTLPR genotypes in FM patients versus controls were distrib uted as follows: L/L 27% versus 34%, L/S 42% versus 50%, and S/S 31% versus 16%. FM patients with the S/S genotype had higher mean scores on the BDI a nd the SCL-90-R compared with those in the L/L and L/S groups. Conclusion. A higher frequency of the S/S genotype of 5-HTT was found in FI M patients compared with healthy controls. The SIS subgroup exhibited highe r mean levels of depression and psychological distress. These results suppo rt the notion of altered serotonin metabolism in at least a subgroup of pat ients with FM.