Risk factors

Your risk of having malignant hyperthermia disorder is higher if someone in your family has it.

• If one of your parents has the abnormal gene, you have a 50% chance of having it too (autosomal dominant inheritance pattern).
• If you have other relatives with this genetic disorder, your chance of having it is also increased.

Your risk of having malignant hyperthermia is also higher if you or a close relative has:

• A history of an event that is suspected to be malignant hyperthermia during anesthesia
• A history of muscle tissue breakdown called rhabdomyolysis, which can be triggered by exercise in extreme heat and humidity or when taking a statin drug
• Certain muscle diseases and disorders caused by inherited abnormal genes