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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A gene linked to asthma may also determine which women are more likely to develop heart disease.
Researchers from Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) in California found the new gene variant that makes women more susceptible to heart disease. It's called Leukotriene C4 Synthase (LTC4S).
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Starting in 1971, researchers periodically evaluated 11,377 participants for risks of developing heart disease.
Scientists hypothesized inflammation was an important predictor of heart disease. This immune response is necessary to repair the daily nicks in the lining of the blood vessels. But the variant form of LTC4S creates too much of an inflammatory response, so people who inherit the gene don't repair damage to their blood vessels as well as others. Until now, the gene variant was only known to cause asthma.
"This is one of the first studies to track the development of heart disease in young people, and not the aftermath of the disease in older populations," reports David Iovannisci, Ph.D., from Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute. "Our research provides critical clues to help us identify people who are susceptible to heart disease long before the disease presents itself and when treatments may be most effective."
Both men and women took part in the study. However, the LTC4S gene variant was only linked to the beginning stages of heart disease in women. The researchers stress none of the participants have yet been diagnosed with heart disease.
A genetic test at birth could identify LTC4S. This could then lead to treatments to help reduce or prevent the risk of heart disease in women with the gene variant.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 2007;27:394-399
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