Family history in first degree relatives of patients with premature cardiovascular disease

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Genetics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Family history (FH) of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in first-degree relatives (FDR) is a key risk factor for premature events.
• Limited data exists on FH of specific CVD manifestations (MI, CSA, PVD) in FDRs of patients with premature CVD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of FH for different CVD manifestations (MI, CSA, PVD) in FDRs of patients with premature CVD.
• To compare FH prevalence between premature CVD patients and blood donor controls.

Main Methods:

• Collected FH data from FDRs (parents, siblings) of 230 consecutive patients with premature CVD (MI, CSA, PVD) and 61 blood donors.
• Analyzed the frequency of MI, CSA, and PVD in the FDRs of patient groups and control group.

Main Results:

• FH of MI was significantly higher in patients with premature MI (14.0%) and CSA (14.4%) compared to controls (5.6%).
• FH of CSA was significantly higher in patients with premature MI (5.2%) and CSA (11.3%) compared to controls (3.7%).
• FH of PVD did not significantly differ across patient groups (MI, CSA, PVD) and controls (2.1% to 3.4%).

Conclusions:

• FH of MI and CSA are significant risk factors associated with premature MI and CSA, respectively.
• FH of PVD is not significantly associated with premature MI, CSA, or PVD.
• These findings support distinct genetic contributions to different premature CVD manifestations.