Biblioteca Virtual en Salud

OBJECTIVE:

To summarize the advances in the genetic susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) and explore the heritable basis of the disease.DATA SOURCESRelated articles in English from January 1990 to June 2006 were searched in Pubmed and EMCC databases with the terms "gene, coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction". Meanwhile, the CMCC database was searched for the relevant articles published between January 2000 and June 2006 in Chinese.STUDY SELECTrON After the preliminary selection,relevant literatures on genetics of CAD and myocardial infarction(MI)were selected, and those with obvious indifferent contents or with less correlation were excluded.DATA EXTRACTION Data of 49 articles were mainly extracted from the selected literatures providing solid evidence to elucidate the genetic susceptibility to CAD or MI.DATA

SYNTHESIS:

The involved 49 articles showed that CAD is a complex multifactorial disorder which is believed to result from the interplay between a person's genetic makeup and various environmental factors. The heritable basis is increasingly recognized as a crucial component in the development of CAD. Recent work in the field of genetics has lead to determining key genes associated with the susceptibility for CAD and MI through genome-wide linkage scans and large-scale gene-association studies as core human genetics approaches These susceptibility genes involve diverse functions, including dyslipidemia, vascular homeostasis, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and immunity.

CONCLUSION:

The identification of genes that predispose to or directly cause CAD provides new insights into the pathogenesis of this disorder. However, the precise role of genetic factor in the CAD or MI events and the personalized gene-specific therapy await further investigation.