Coronary Artery Disease And Its Genetics.
                     CORONARY 
ARTERY DISEASE 
AND ITS GENETICS
Introduction
Atherosclerosis is the primary 
cause of coronary artery disease 
(CAD). Several observational 
studies have examined the 
association of traditional CAD risk 
factors with the progression of 
coronary artery calcification (CAC). 
Source: journals.plos.org
Genetic risk variants
The current explosion in the 
discovery of genetic risk variants 
for CAD will, in the future, provide 
more comprehensive primary 
prevention and the hope of further 
reduction in the incidence of CAD 
and its sequelae. 
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
CAD
It remains to be determined 
whether it will meet the challenge 
to eliminate or markedly attenuate 
CAD in the 21st century as claimed 
by several investigators.
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Challenge
The challenge to prevent CAD in 
the 21st century has had a great 
start. The technology had arrived 
to pursue genes predisposing to 
polygenic disorders such as CAD
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Common Features in CAD 
Genetic Risk Variants
DNA sequences
Most of the genetic risk variants for 
CAD are located in DNA sequences 
that do not code for protein. This 
means the risk variant mediates its 
increased risk for CAD directly or 
indirectly through regulation of 
DNA sequences that do code for 
protein.
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
DNA does not 
change
All DNA genetic risk variants need 
only be assessed once, since one’s 
DNA does not change over one’s 
lifetime nor do genetic risk variants 
vary with time, meals, drugs, or 
gender.
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Genetics Leads to 
New Therapy for 
CAD
Evidence that cholesterol plays a 
major role in the pathogenesis of 
atherosclerosis has been known for 
more than five decades. 
However, one of the major 
observations confirming the link 
between cholesterol and heart 
disease was from human genetics. 
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The Hope for the 
Future
The challenge for the next decade 
will be to identify the molecular 
mechanisms mediating the risk of 
those genetic risk variants that do 
not act through known 
conventional risk factors. 
There is good evidence that several 
of these genetic risk variants 
predispose to CAD through 
inflammatory pathways.
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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