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Genetics of atherosclerosis.

Aldons J Lusis¹, Rebecca Mar, Paivi Pajukanta

¹Department of 1Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. jlusis@mednet.ucla.edu

Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics

|October 16, 2004

Summary

Atherosclerosis, a major cause of heart attack and stroke, arises from complex genetic and environmental factors. Identifying these common genetic contributors requires integrated research approaches.

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Area of Science:

Cardiovascular Science
Genetics
Epidemiology

Background:

Atherosclerosis is a primary cause of coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke.
Family history is a significant independent risk factor for CAD.
Monogenic disorders like familial hypercholesterolemia explain only a small portion of atherosclerosis susceptibility.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the common, complex forms of coronary artery disease (CAD).
To highlight the multifactorial genetic and environmental contributions to atherosclerosis.
To discuss strategies for discovering genetic factors in complex CAD.

Main Methods:

Review of genetic-epidemiologic studies.
Characterization of Mendelian disorders associated with atherosclerosis.
Emphasis on complementary approaches including animal models, human genetic studies, and functional experiments.

Main Results:

Numerous genetic and nongenetic risk factors for CAD have been identified.
Most myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke cases result from gene-environment interactions.
Discovery of genetic factors for common CAD necessitates integrated research strategies.

Conclusions:

Understanding complex atherosclerosis requires investigating the interplay of multiple genetic and environmental factors.
Future research should integrate diverse methodologies to uncover the genetic basis of common CAD.
This review focuses on the common, complex etiologies of CAD.

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