COVID-19, a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, is spreading as a rapidly transmissible disease that currently has affected the world. Patients with chronic pain are concerned about the lack of response to some of the treatments and the risks of these treatments during this pandemic. Isn't it the time for genetic to be part of the algorithmic approaches to chronic pain management and to be standardised?

Can genetics help the pain specialists to identify genetically predisposed patients to COVID-19 and genetically weakened immune systems patients and whom are more susceptible to side effect of medications and/or the respiratory depression effect of drugs? Can genetics help pain specialists to personally limit pain medications during viral crises, and not deprive all chronic pain patients from medication?

Many genetic studies have been performed and the effect of genes on pain sensation and change of acute pain to chronic pain in certain individuals and differences in response to drugs and the susceptibility to drug complications or addiction has been studied. Changes in these genes are effective not only in understanding the pain variable but also in the analgesic effect.
The regulation and modulation of pain perception are not yet fully understood; hence, more complex knowledge of genetic and epigenetic background before the clinical use of genetic markers will be needed to control pain. Despite the promise of preliminary data on genetic diversity in the main genes of the candidate in chronic pain and its treatment, there is insufficient evidence for the clinical application of personal medicine for the chronic pain management. However, providers should take genetic information into account when caring for people who are not responsive or deeply sensitive to treatment and the risks of these treatments during the COVID-19 epidemic. The good news is that some of the world's largest biobanks are planning to search for genetically susceptible patients to COVID-19. These biobanks would certainly be a basis for studying personalised medicine on chronic pain management in the near future.