HLA typing in a family prone to malignant hyperthermia

Malignant hyperthermia (MH), a world-wide pharmacogenetic syndrome, is a major cause of anesthetic-induced mortality in North America. For a number of years a relatively large number of MH episodes have occurred in Wausau, Wisconsin, apparently reflecting the genetic background of this area's residents. The proximity and cooperation of these individuals potentially susceptible to MN, and the continuing increase in the number of diseases in which susceptibility appears associated with the major histocompatibility system encouraged us to investigate the possibility of an association between the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system and susceptibility to MH.