Genetic predisposition in anaesthesia and critical care, science fiction or reality?

SummaryConsidering the individual genetic background is a major undertaking in the personalization of anaesthesia and critical care medicine. Especially, functional relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and copy number variants (CNVs) are in the focus of current research. Candidate gene studies showed many positive associations of genetic variants with sepsis or perioperative disorders such as nausea and vomiting. However, these studies frequently lack adequate statistical power and the results have not been replicated. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), apart from candidate gene studies, also failed in defining the heritability in complex diseases. The next generation sequencing method might enable whole genome sequencing with practicable conditions. Although there are still some problems to solve, it is promising to fundamentally increase the knowledge about the genetic background of complex diseases.