Genetic susceptibility to coronary artery disease: from promise to progress.

Journal article

Family history is an important independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), and identification of susceptibility genes for this common, complex disease is a vital goal. Although there has been considerable success in identifying genetic variants that influence well-known risk factors, such as cholesterol levels, progress in unearthing novel CAD genes has been slow. However, advances are now being made through the application of large-scale, systematic, genome-wide approaches. Recent findings particularly highlight the link between CAD and inflammation and immunity, and highlight the biological insights to be gained from a genetic understanding of the world's biggest killer.

Authors: Watkins, H; Farrall, M

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Nature reviews. Genetics
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 163-173
• Publication date: 2006-03-01
• DOI: 10.1038/nrg1805
• EISSN: 1471-0064
• ISSN: 1471-0056
• Language: English
• Keywords: Animals; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Coronary Artery Disease; Humans; Inflammation; Genome, Human; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Genetic Variation