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February 9, 1999 Penn Researchers Hone in on Heart Disease Prevention by Taking a Closer Look at Genetic Markers and Other Risk Factors To what extent does a family history of heart disease pose a risk for a future heart attack? Can risk for a heart attack be predicted by evaluating a person's genes? To help answer these questions, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center are taking a unique approach to studying the role of genes in heart disease. In this innovative study, an advanced, noninvasive imaging technique known as Ultrafast CT scanning is being used to measure coronary plaque in the arteries of healthy people in order to investigate its relation to a variety of different genes. Although many risk factors for heart disease, such as hypertension and high cholesterol, are well known, they contribute to less than one-half of coronary heart disease (CHD) cases. In fact, more than half of all serious cardiac events - including heart attack - occur in healthy people with no previous symptoms. "The purpose of this study is to evaluate a broader range of factors related to premature CHD in people with a family history of the disease," says Daniel J. Rader, M.D., the study's principal investigator and director of Preventive Cardiology and the Lipid Research Center at Penn. "A search continues for better markers, including specific genetic factors that cause CHD, that will improve the prediction of individuals at risk for heart disease, and allow for early intervention." The study will involve individuals who have a family history of premature CHD, as well as their siblings. The Ultrafast CT scan will be used to detect and quantify coronary artery calcification, a known specific marker for coronary plaque build-up or atherosclerosis. The Ultrafast CT obtains images in as little as 50 milliseconds - literally, an image of the heart with each heartbeat. Its advanced sensitivity for detecting coronary plaque can indicate the presence of CHD even before any symptoms have appeared, making it a valuable research and clinical tool. In addition, blood tests for laboratory analysis will be performed, including DNA-based genetic analysis of genes possibly causing early heart disease. The identification of genes which contribute to the development of heart disease will provide a major tool for the understanding and prevention of the disease, especially among susceptible individuals with a positive family history of CHD. This fundamentally new approach to studying risk factors for heart disease could eventually lead to the development of new genetically based tests to predict premature CHD and give insight into new genes which may be associated with the disease. "There has not yet been a study directly investigating the relationship between genetic markers and coronary artery calcification," explains Rader. "A better understanding of this association may allow for more accurate and earlier identification of individuals at risk, thereby facilitating earlier preventive intervention." |
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