Why is testing for MH expensive and not incorporated into routine screening prior to surgery?
The technology for detecting DNA changes requires specialized equipment and expertise. Searching for so many DNA changes increases the cost. A special problem is that in MH, there is no single mutation responsible found in most patients who are MH susceptible. For example, in certain geographic vicinities, a single mutation may be found in up to 20% of families, but that same mutation might not be found in more than a small percent of susceptibles of a different ethnic group or located in a different geographic vicinity. By contrast, in a disorder such as Cystic Fibrosis, a single mutation is found in more than 80% of those afflicted. Because of the expense of genetic testing and the low likelihood of a patient experiencing an MH episode, it is not economically feasible to screen all patients having surgery for MH.
