As you get older, you tend to blame your parents for a lot of the things that you don’t like about yourself and, according to a new study published last week, you can now add your poor heart health to that list! Scientists have found that if you have a certain genetic variation, your wellbeing is doubly at risk of developing calcium deposits in the heart, which can, in severe cases, narrow or block the aorta.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that 7% of the population have this genetic variation, and the discovery of this gives scientists important clues about how to treat the disease. According to senior author Wendy Post, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, ‘This is an important step forward in understanding the biology of the development of aortic stenosis.’
Aortic stenosis is a progressive disease that affects your wellness through symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath. In some cases, aortic stenosis requires surgery, but Post says that the study’s findings could help scientists to develop medications to slow the progression of the disease, and prevent the need for surgical intervention.
So what gene variation do the 7% of the population have? A type of cholesterol particle called lipoprotein (a) circulates your blood, and the gene in question is involved in the production of this particle. According to lead author Catherine Campbell, of Kaiser Permanente, ‘Increased levels of lipoprotein (a) have been previously associated with aortic valve disease. However, prior studies could not differentiate whether it was simply a marker or a causal factor. Our results provide the first evidence for a causal relationship.’
The 2.5 million gene variants among more than 6900 people of white European heritage were examined for the study, and one in particular was found to be associated with the aortic calcium deposits. To confirm the results, the scientists then looked at over 2000 people of Hispanic origin, about 2500 African-Americans, and more than 700 Germans, and used data from 40,000 people in Sweden and Denmark to demonstrate that the gene variant was linked to a future risk of developing the heart condition.
However, this is only one of several risk factors for developing aortic stenosis. You are also at a higher risk of developing the disease as you get older, or you have high blood pressure, obesity, or high cholesterol levels. Also, men are at higher risk than women and smokers are at a greater risk than non-smokers.
Comments are closed.