This is what makes redheads confusing to surgeons. People with the M1CR gene mutation have increased sensitivity to opiate painkillers and less sensitive to other things like lidocaine injections. The gene mutation released hormones into the brains of redheads that mimicked endorphins which besides providing other functions also acted as an element of pain relief. This was found to give redhead increased sensitivity to opioid painkillers which redheads need to take reduced doses of.
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What makes surgeons even more worried and careful about redheads are the pain issues. A study using heat-induced pain found that redheads felt pain more acutely and unpleasantly than others. It was assumed that the MC1R mutation releases a hormone stimulating brain receptors associated with regulating pain.
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Redheads are said to be more susceptible to hernias. A study found evidence that provided a possibility of redheads being more susceptible to hernia. A link between the chromosome 16 and a condition called brittle cornea syndrome was found whose sufferers had an elevated risk of hernia.
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In a survey, it was found that 7% of both red-haired and control patients experienced post-surgical bleeding during tonsillectomies. Another study found that in blood coagulation in 50 women among which there were 25 redheads, there was no difference in clotting.
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