“Uncle Joe woke up from minor surgery packed in ice.” That’s more than interesting family gossip. It’s an ominous clue that Joe’s relatives are at risk for a rare, inherited condition that can make their bodies overheat enough to kill them if they receive certain types of anesthesia — a clue that every family member should tell their doctors. Now scientists are preparing to offer the first genetic testing for this condition, called malignant hyperthermia, that may help affected families begin to tell which relatives really are at risk. The test also may help shed light on whether people at risk of malignant hyperthermia in the operating room may be at higher-than-normal risk of exercise-induced heat stroke.
