Genetics and Gender in Acute Pain and Perioperative Opioid Analgesia.

Biological sex as a variable in pain perception has been rigorously studied. However, there is little correlation between clinical and experimental studies with regard to this. There has been a surge of interest and research in the correlation of genes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms in relation to pain perception, and opioid pharmacokinetics. However, there have not yet been studies or reports of generalized application of this testing to improve acute postoperative pain outcomes.