Recent studies in the field of pharmacogenomics, which probes how genes affect a person’s response to a drug, show that a higher prevalence of certain genetic traits that influence drug metabolism may exist in some Asian-American subgroups. An estimated 75% of Pacific Islanders have a genetic trait that makes them respond poorly to the blood thinner clopidogrel, which puts them at risk of clotting and recurrent heart attacks.18 Up to 86% of people of Asian descent are estimated to be hypersensitive to warfarin, the most commonly used anticoagulant drug, increasing their risk of excessive bleeding at higher therapeutic doses.19
