Do variations in the 5-HT3A and 5-HT3B serotonin receptor genes (HTR3A and HTR3B) influence the occurrence of postoperative vomiting?

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting are unpleasant side effects of general anesthesia. Besides known risk factors (female gender, nonsmoker, history, and opioids), a genetic influence of the serotonin receptor system on the development of nausea and vomiting has repeatedly been proposed. In this pilot study, we therefore investigated the genes of the serotonin receptor subunits A and B (HTR3A and HTR3B) for genetic variants.