Gene testing helps get warfarin dose right

Checking patients' DNA before starting them on a warfarin (sold as Coumadin in generic form) helps get the tricky dose right and keep them out of the hospital. About 2 million Americans start on it each year to prevent blood clots after surgery or for other medical conditions.However, the world's most common blood thinner is also one of its most dangerous drugs. One person's ideal dose can be 10 times that of another's. Even certain foods can throw it off. Too much warfarin can lead to bleeding, too little can lead to clots, and either one can kill. Up to 20 percent of patients wind up in the hospital in their first six months on the drug.

Patients given gene tests to set their initial warfarin dose had about a 30 percent lower risk of being hospitalized than similar patients whose doses were set by trial and error."If we reduce just two hospitalizations per 100 patients tested, that more than compensates for the cost of the test," said the study's leader, Dr. Robert Epstein.

Bonnie - this test has been around for a few years but is seldom used. It is an exciting development that should be implemented for as many efficacious drugs as possible. I have always recommend that my clients get a genetic test for aspirin before taking it. Of course, it is costly.