Pharmacogenomics of Warfarin in Hispanics and Latinos

Warfarin is a commonly used blood thinner to treat and prevent blood clots. It is important to take the right dose of warfarin because too much can increase the risk of bleeding and too little can increase the risk of blood clots. This is why patients are closely monitored especially when they begin warfarin therapy. When clinicians prescribe warfarin, they have to consider different factors such as patient's age, body size, diet, and other medications that can interact with warfarin. Certain genes have also been found to affect warfarin dose. Individuals have variations in these genes, which can help explain why some patients need higher dose and others require less. These factors have been used to better predict a patient's warfarin dose requirement. However, these predictions were created based on Caucasian populations and they may not be accurate in predicting a safe warfarin dose if a patient is not Caucasian. This study aims to identify new genetic variation that affects warfarin dosing in Hispanic and Latino populations and try to better predict a Hispanic or Latino patient's warfarin dose requirement.