Your Low Tolerance For Pain Can Be Blamed On Your Genes

"Our study is quite significant because it provides an objective way to understand pain and why different individuals have different pain tolerance levels," study leader Tobore Onojjighofia said. "Identifying whether a person has these four genes could help doctors better understand a patient's perception of pain."

In the analysis, scientists found a greater prevalence of the DRD1gene variant among those who reported low pain perception, seen 33 percent more than otherwise. Likewise, the COMT and OPRK variants were found 25 percent and 19 percent more often among those with moderate pain compared to those with high pain. And the DRD2 variant appeared 25 percent more often among those with the highest pain perception compared to those with moderate pain. Onojjighofia presented the findings to the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting.