CARDIAC RISK: PERHAPS THE FAULT OF A GENE
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A genetic variant that occurs in a significant number of people with heart disease seems to increase the chances of heart attack, or death by 38%. And ' what emerges from a new study by scientists at Duke University
This " stress response gene " was found in about 17% of men and 3% of women with heart disease. Until now it was always considered that excess stress gave rise to an overproduction of cortisol , the " stress hormone " that threatens the health of the heart.
The new discovery provides a new potential explanation for a biological predisposition to heart disease and premature death , according to the study authors.
"The results are interesting, but still preliminary and certainly deserve further investigation ," said the study's author Beverly Brummett , associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the School of Medicine at Duke University.
Dr. Nieca Goldberg , medical director of the program " Heart of Women" at New York University , added that it would be useful to know how frequently the gene variant occurs in other ethnic groups , such as blacks , Asians and Latin Americans , since all study participants were white.
The study was published December 18 in the journal PLoS One.
Heart disease is the major cause of death in Western populations . The most common cause is the narrowing of the coronary arteries , which can lead to heart attacks , according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine . Approximately 600,000 people in the U.S. die each year due to heart disease.
Source: Worldhealth
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