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If the patient is indeed a natural redhead, she carefully monitors the patient’s reaction while administering anesthesia to ensure they are properly anesthetized. However, focus on the endogenous ligand for the κ-opioid receptor, dynorphin, may offer more scientific insight as it also binds with high specificity and antagonises MC1R [39]. Moreover, in addition to their peripheral localization, MC1Rs are expressed in brain glial cells [40] and the ventral periaqueductal gray [41], which are regions putatively relevant to nociception [42]. Can we use the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale to help quantify their fears and then treatment plan accordingly?
Lessons from animal models
To determine whether red-haired patients are less sensitive to the hypnotic effects of inhaled anesthetic agents, the relationship between anesthetic concentration (expressed as aaMAC) and depth of hypnosis (defined in this study as BIS values) was explored. Patients reported to researchers whether or not they had natural red hair. There could have been mistakes in these reports, and the phenotype does not necessarily confirm the genotype.
Table 2
Following transformation, patients found to be multivariate outliers were excluded from the analysis. In each haplotype the minor allele is highlighted in boldface Italicised font. The highest-frequency haplotype (1) is used as the reference for the above analysis. The association statistics effect size and p are provided for analysis with the count of persistent pain conditions in UKBB. The gene MC1R encodes the melanocortin-1 receptor, MC1R, a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) responsible for skin and hair pigment biosynthesis [10].
A recent mutation—understanding the genetics
Using DF1747 we constructed a “red versus dark” phenotype, in which the “dark” category comprised dark brown and black hair colours. We excluded blonde and light brown to avoid overlap with strawberry blonde and auburn brown, which brought the effective sample size to 187,560. The more purely dichotomous phenotype was desirable for maximum sensitivity in testing the effects of variants expected to have a comparatively small effect. Pain being a subjective sensation is difficult to measure, and as studies cited above show, responses can depend on the stimulus type being used. The stimulus intensity that can be administered in humans is understandably limited, as also it is in animal studies. Pain is ultimately a bio-psycho-social condition where immeasurable factors ideally need to be considered.
Redheads and anesthesia: Analyzing the differences in pain perception
Mutants and redheads showed an increased analgesic response, which the authors confirmed was likely a true pharmacodynamic, rather than metabolic/pharmacokinetic effect, as circulating levels of the drug were similar in both groups [27]. Interestingly, Mogil et al. did not find any sex-dependent effects in mice or humans, in contrast to their previous report for the κ-opioid system. However, extending the results of MC1R interaction with both κ- and μ-opioid systems raises the possibility that in dark-haired humans there is an endogenous pain inhibition system resulting from MC1R activation.
Red for danger: the effects of red hair in surgical practice
Over the last few decades, research has found that people with red hair might experience pain differently than people with other kinds of hair. By some estimates, these groups also have a three times greater risk of developing melanoma than white people with darker hair. A 2020 study looked at specific MC1R variants and the role they might play in a person's perception of pain. The researchers found that only some of the variants seemed to affect pain sensitivity. Manual records of anesthesia and digital photographs of monitor trends were used as alternative sources of data in the rare instances that the computer data or the electronic anesthesia records were incomplete. Where capture of perioperative information was not possible, cases were deleted for each specific analysis separately as described below.
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Second, it is entirely possible that the right studies have not been designed or conducted, or that researchers do not have the sufficient tools to quantify subtle discrepancies or differences between study subjects. The research about redheads and pain perception is literally all over the map. The studies range from small clinical trials to large, randomized trials. Some contain objective findings, while others are based on subjective reports from redheaded subjects. Here are the key points gleaned from seven studies that focused on pain control issues. Like so many other research areas, it appears difficult to come to one solid conclusion.
12 Facts About Redheads You Didn't Know: the Science Behind Red Hair - Reader's Digest
12 Facts About Redheads You Didn't Know: the Science Behind Red Hair.
Posted: Mon, 11 Nov 2019 08:00:00 GMT [source]
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Always follow your healthcare provider's recommendations when taking opioid pain medications. Ideally, you should take just enough pain medication to be able to move, walk, cough, and do the necessary things in life, then decrease the amount as your pain improves. If your current medication doesn't seem to be strong enough to let you do these things, talk to your healthcare provider.
Myths in Anesthesiology: Do Redheads Have Special Needs?
The cells that make melanin produce two forms—eumelanin and pheomelanin. People with red hair produce mostly pheomelanin, which is also linked to freckles and fair skin that tans poorly. Production of this yellow-red pigment results from well-described mutations of the MC1R.3-6 In contrast, when a normal (consensus) MC1R is expressed, the predominant pigment produced by melanocytes is eumelanin (dark brown) and the typical eumelanin to pheomelanin ratio is high. Another study that assessed pain sensitivity using a questionnaire and a test that measures a person's pain response to very cold water found increased pain sensitivity in females with red hair. This study also concluded that the increased sensitivity was related to variations in the MC1R gene.
The study subjects were regarded as Caucasian if they were mainly of northern European descent as indicated by self-report. How individual people experience pain and respond to pain medication is an important consideration for anesthesiologists. To date, much of the evidence regarding redheads and anesthesia has been anecdotal, however, there is some consensus that anesthesiologists should be aware that people with red hair may not be fully responsive to anesthetic medication.
But this experiment used thermal pain (heat and cold) instead of electrical currents. In theory, the research done so far could suggest that females with red hair may experience more pain in labor or that epidural pain relief could be less effective. However, there hasn't been any research specifically looking into labor pain in people with red hair, so this is pure speculation. Want to better understand the research on red hair, pain sensitivity and anesthetics? Redheads also typically need more topical anesthetics, such as lidocaine or Novocain, according to a 2009 study the Journal of the American Dental Association.
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