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Genetic Markers for Heart Disease

Lifestyle and dietary choices are major contributors to heart disease, but genetics also plays a part. Genetic markers for heart disease include high cholesterol and gene variants. New research has identified several variants that increase the risk for heart disease and heart attacks. Knowing what these variants are can help in the fight against heart disease.

  1. HDL Cholesterol and Genes

    • Whether or not you have low or high levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is partially genetic. PON1 is a gene that plays a role in the level of HDL, also known as "good cholesterol." Having a lower level causes a predisposition toward heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.

    Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

    • In a study conducted by the Myocardial Infarction Genetics Consortium, nine gene variants were associated with early heart attack risk. People with all of the nine gene variants had close to double the risk for having a heart attack as people who had none of the variants. The single-letter variants are called "single nucleotide polymorphisms" (SNPs) and are found in six regions, according to Michael Smith's article, "Studies Uncover Genetics of Heart Disease," posted on the Medpage Today website.

      Three of the SNPs were found on chromosome 1, and individual SNPs on chromosomes 9, 10 and 19 were linked to increased risk for heart disease. Three SNPs linked to increased risk for heart disease were also found on chromosome 21: close to a gene named MRPS6-SLC5A3-KCNE2, on gene PHACTR1 on chromosome 6 and gene WDR12 on chromosome 2. Having all nine of these gene variants increases the risk for early heart attack. However, traditional heart disease predictors such as weight, activity level and diet are better predictors for heart disease than genetic markers, according to Smith.

    New Tests

    • The University of Pennsylvania will begin using a new series of genetic tests that will help in predicting the likelihood of developing heart disease, according to Philly.com. The test identifies eight potential genetic markers for heart disease. However, having all of the genetic markers does not mean that heart disease is unavoidable. Even with all of the genetic markers, a person would have an elevated risk for development of heart disease, but prevention is still possible. "Even someone with a bad genetic profile would have at worst a 50 percent higher than average risk," according to Philly.com.

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