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New genetic variants that increase the likelihood of developing coronary artery disease and heart attacks are published in three studies in Nature Genetics today.

Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of preventive cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is the leader of a group that has identified three new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of heart attack.

The study led by Kathiresan, done by a group of six organizations called the Myocardial Infarction Genetics Consortium, is the largest of the five. It compared the genomes of about 3,000 people who had suffered heart attacks relatively early in life -- under 50 in men, under 60 in women -- with those of 3,000 people who hadn't had a heart attack.

It's known that heart disease tends to cluster in families, Kathiresan said, in part because family members tend to share bad habits, such as smoking. The aim of the study was to single out the role of genes in increased familial risk.

In response to the studies involving British Heart Foundation (BHF) Professors Nilesh Samani and Stephen Ball and part-funded by the charity, Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the BHF, said:

"These studies demonstrate the power of big international collaborations to unearth new clues on the causes of heart attacks. Our scientists are making excellent progress in this field but genetic testing to predict heart attack risk is still a long way off.

"Vital research is now trying to get to grips with how and why these genetic traits increase heart attack risk and whether new treatments can be devised to counteract them.

"Our thanks go to the thousands of heart patients who provided samples of their DNA for the BHF's Family Heart Study, which contributed to these studies."

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the nation's heart charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning for change and by providing vital information. But we urgently need help. We rely on donations of time and money to continue our life-saving work. Because together we can beat heart disease.

Also, to urge Americans to join the battle against these diseases, since 1963 Congress has required the president to proclaim February "American Heart Month."

SOURCE

Labels: genetics, heart disease