(329) Epigenetic Aging is Associated with Clinical and Experimental Pain in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Gerontological research reveals considerable interindividual variability in biological aging, which has motivated research efforts to identify ‘aging biomarkers’ that are better predictors of disease risk and residual lifespan when compared to chronological age alone. Emerging evidence using the epigenetic clock as an aging biomarker supports highly reliable individualized predictions about future health and function. The current study focuses on the estimation of “epigenetic age” analyses in blood samples of older adults (60-83 years old) with and without chronic pain to determine whether an epigenetic age biomarker is associated with the presence and burden of chronic pain. A subset of participants (n=29) in the NEPAL study underwent a blood draw, and completed demographic, psychological, and pain assessments, including quantitative sensory testing (n=29). We estimated Horvath's epigenetic clock and calculated the difference between epigenetic age and chronological age that has been previously reported to predict overall mortality risk. Older individuals without chronic pain (n=9) had significantly “younger” epigenetic age compared to those with chronic pain (n=20,p 0.05). Epigenetic age difference was not generally associated with demographic or psychological function (p's>0.05). Our findings suggest that chronic pain is associated with greater epigenetic aging in relatively healthy, community-dwelling older individuals and future studies with larger samples are needed to confirm our findings. An aging biomarker such as the epigenetic clock may help identify people with chronic pain at greater risk of functional decline and poorer health outcomes.