I found this article a couple of days ago and only had time to post it now. I think a couple of people might find it interesting….
Ouch! Weird Warning for Redheads
Those who have natural red hair could be a lot more sensitive to pain than blondes and brunettes. Reuters reports that researchers from the
University of Louisville in Kentucky have concluded that redheads need about 20 percent more anesthesia than people with other hair colors.
This is the first visible human trait that has been linked to an anesthetic requirement. “In a nutshell, redheads are likely to experience more pain from a given stimulus and therefore require more
anesthesia to alleviate that pain,” said lead researcher Dr. Edwin Liem in a statement reported by Reuters
This is important news for any redhead who has major or even minor surgery–and for their anesthesiologists. “The art and science of
anesthesiology is choosing the right dose,” explained Liem. “There is very little difference between the effective dose and the toxic dose of
most anesthetics. Patients can awaken during surgery if they are given insufficient anesthesia or suffer cardiac and pulmonary complications when they are given too much.” Even scientists don’t really understand how anesthesia works. But this new research may help them figure it out, since there is now a genetic clue. “Since red hair can be traced to particular mutations (variations) in the melanocortin 1 receptor, we now have the opportunity to evaluate central nervous system pathways that may influence or mediate anesthetic requirement,” Liem said. The findings were reported to a meeting of the American Society of
Anesthesiologists.