(Redheads)That Flaming Hair Could Mean Flaming Pain - Study

Yahoo! News (Reuters) ^ | 10/14/02 | n/a

[Pyro7480]

That Flaming Hair Could Mean Flaming Pain - Study

Mon Oct 14, 5:50 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -

Redheads may actually have another trait that makes them stand out -- sensitivity to pain, specialists reported on Tuesday.

People with natural red hair need about 20 percent more anesthesia than people with other hair colors, they told a meeting of anesthesiologists. The unexpected finding not only suggests that redheads are more sensitive to pain, but offers insights into how anesthesia works in people.

"Red hair is the first visible human trait, or phenotype, that is linked to anesthetic requirement," Dr. Edwin Liem of the University of Louisville in Kentucky said in a statement.

"In a nutshell, redheads are likely to experience more pain from a given stimulus and therefore require more anesthesia to alleviate that pain," he added.

Liem, who reported his findings to a meeting in Orlando, Florida of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, said the finding is important news for specialists who monitor patients during surgery.

"The art and science of anesthesiology is choosing the right dose," he said. "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."

He said scientists do not fully understand how anesthesia works, but the findings offers clues, as people with red hair have a certain genetic variant.

"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.

"Investigating the role of melanocortin system in the central nervous system is thus likely to help us understand fundamental questions such as which systems in the brain produce unconsciousness and which modulate pain perception."

Liem's team studied white women aged 19 to 40 who were given the inhaled anesthetic desflurane. Their physical responses were closely monitored, especially unconscious reflex arm or leg movement in response to painful stimulation.

More anesthesia was needed to block movement in redheads than in participants with dark or blond hair, Liem said.

[Pyro7480]

Comments, experiences, etc. please. :-)

[Pyro7480]

Ping!

[RipSawyer]

Redheads are more sensitive to everything. I don't know why but they are.

[Phantom Lord]

I dated a red head in college, and she could take some pain.

[Mr. Jeeves]

I thought they just caused more pain to others...

[Pyro7480]

Don't forget their sensitivity to the sun. That "thin" skin of theirs is why they're so sensitive.. ;-) (getting ready to duck in a fireproof suit) :-)

[Pyro7480]

Oh man, I know about that "fact!" (It's more of a tendency, in my opinion, particularly with one redhead I know.) :-)

[Pyro7480]

I'm not even going to ask about your post... ;-) (tries to keep mouth shut)

[.38sw]

Hm. I do know that when I go to the dentist for things like fillings and root canals, the dentist is always surprised at how much anaesthesia it takes for me. Ouch...

[elephantlips]

Red hair runs in my family and I am super sensitive to pain. My father,who had red hair, could have his teeth extracted without novocaine. Go figure.

[Phantom Lord]

I couldnt resist. The red... I mean thread was just begging for it!

[sweetliberty]

"I do know that when I go to the dentist for things like fillings and root canals, the dentist is always surprised at how much anaesthesia it takes for me."

Same here. By the time I was in my mid-teens, the dentist had given up trying to work on me without using general anesthesia.

Some years back I had an accident that resulted in a lacerated Achilles tendon. In the emergency room they were trying to tell me that I couldn't be in as much pain as I seemed to be. I am normally a very civil person, but when I am in pain I can get rather abrasive. I told them in no uncertain terms not to try and tell me how much pain I was or was not in. I may have offered to share it with them.

[blam]

Redheads 'Are Neanderthals'

[Robe]

Every time I hear someone say “knockout” I can’t help but think of a very funny incident
in NYC many years ago.
I was in a NYC taxi on a crowded mid-town street when a VERY pregnant beautiful
young redhead darted out in front of the cab. After braking hard and almost hitting the
lass. The cabby put his head out the window and in a voice that could only belong the a
NYC hack yelled...” Hey lady, ya can get knocked down too!!!

[Cogadh na Sith]

More anesthesia was needed to block movement in redheads than in participants with dark or blond hair, Liem said.

Did it correlate with hair color specifically, or did they take into account drinking? Drinkers need more anesthetic than non-drinkers and lots of readheads have Irish lineage...

[Old Professer]

They did say, phenotype, not phrenotype, didn't they?

[gcruse]

Bump for beautiful redheads.

[Capt_Hank]

Well, There is nothing sexier than a natural redhead. Just keep them out of sun and caress them gently. Their skin is so soft and delicate.

[null and void]

YIKES!

[CyberCowboy777]

My wife, a red head, is very sensitive to pain.

Except when it comes to child birth. She has given birth to three boys (9 lbs. 2 oz, 9 lbs 3 oz and 8 lbs 6 oz) without any medication (other than Tylenol after the fact).

Two took less than 3 hours to be born and the other took 6 hours. (Start of regular contractions to Birth)

It is truly un-believable, all with barely a moan.