Cohort profile: DOLORisk Dundee: a longitudinal study of chronic neuropathic pain
Claire Jones,
Blair H. Smith,
Geert Crombez,
Harry L. Hébert,
Abirami Veluchamy,
Georgios Baskozos,
Francesca Fardo,
Dimitri M. L. Van Ryckeghem,
Mathilde M. V. Pascal,
Keith Milburn,
Ewan R. Pearson,
David L. H. Bennett,
Weihua Meng,
Colin N. A. Palmer
Affiliations
Claire Jones
Synergos, Windhoek, Namibia
Blair H. Smith
Chronic Pain Research Group, Division of Population Health and Genomics, Mackenzie Building, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
Geert Crombez
Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Ghent, Gent, Belgium
Harry L. Hébert
Chronic Pain Research Group, Division of Population Health and Genomics, Mackenzie Building, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
Abirami Veluchamy
Chronic Pain Research Group, Division of Population Health and Genomics, Mackenzie Building, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
Georgios Baskozos
Neural Injury Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Francesca Fardo
Danish Pain Research Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Dimitri M. L. Van Ryckeghem
Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
Mathilde M. V. Pascal
Neural Injury Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Keith Milburn
Health Informatics Centre, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
Ewan R. Pearson
Pat Macpherson Centre for Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics, Division of Population Health and Genomics, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
David L. H. Bennett
Neural Injury Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Weihua Meng
Chronic Pain Research Group, Division of Population Health and Genomics, Mackenzie Building, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
Colin N. A. Palmer
Pat Macpherson Centre for Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics, Division of Population Health and Genomics, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
Purpose Neuropathic pain is a common disorder of the somatosensory system that affects 7%–10% of the general population. The disorder places a large social and economic burden on patients as well as healthcare services. However, not everyone with a relevant underlying aetiology develops corresponding pain. DOLORisk Dundee, a European Union-funded cohort, part of the multicentre DOLORisk consortium, was set up to increase current understanding of this variation in onset. In particular, the cohort will allow exploration of psychosocial, clinical and genetic predictors of neuropathic pain onset.Participants DOLORisk Dundee has been constructed by rephenotyping two pre-existing Scottish population cohorts for neuropathic pain using a standardised ‘core’ study protocol: Genetics of Diabetes Audit and Research in Tayside Scotland (GoDARTS) (n=5236) consisting of predominantly type 2 diabetics from the Tayside region, and Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study (GS:SFHS; n=20 221). Rephenotyping was conducted in two phases: a baseline postal survey and a combined postal and online follow-up survey. DOLORisk Dundee consists of 9155 participants (GoDARTS=1915; GS:SFHS=7240) who responded to the baseline survey, of which 6338 (69.2%; GoDARTS=1046; GS:SFHS=5292) also responded to the follow-up survey (18 months later).Findings to date At baseline, the proportion of those with chronic neuropathic pain (Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions questionnaire score ≥3, duration ≥3 months) was 30.5% in GoDARTS and 14.2% in Generation Scotland. Electronic record linkage enables large scale genetic association studies to be conducted and risk models have been constructed for neuropathic pain.Future plans The cohort is being maintained by an access committee, through which collaborations are encouraged. Details of how to do this will be available on the study website (http://dolorisk.eu/). Further follow-up surveys of the cohort are planned and funding applications are being prepared to this effect. This will be conducted in harmony with similar pain rephenotyping of UK Biobank.
