Author: Bolysbek Dana
Editor: Merentsova Anastasia
Coronary artery disease is a condition in which there is blockage or thinning of the coronary arteries (blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle), usually due to atherosclerosis. Patients with this disease experience chest pain, shortness of breath, and heart attack may also result.
In recent years, medical scientists have discovered that there is a genetic component that increases susceptibility to developing coronary artery disease. In a new study, the researchers sought to identify these genetic markers present in people of Asian descent, especially in Japanese.
The study was based on the acquisition and analysis of genetic data within the BioBank Japan project. Biobank data included the results of genome-wide sequencing (determination of the amino acid or nucleotide sequence of DNA or RNA) of 1800 people with coronary heart disease and 2636 people without this disease. The group then incorporated data from a variety of other biobanks.
Overall, the team analyzed data from 25,892 people with coronary artery disease and 142,336 people who did not. They found eight previously unidentified loci that could be associated with a pathological process in the coronary artery, and several variants that could be associated with the severity of the disease. As a result, the researchers identified 175 loci associated with coronary artery injury.
The researchers then created a genetic map showing risk factors for patients with the indicated markers. They suggest that in the future, the loci they obtained could be used for the early diagnosis and treatment of people at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-genetic-reveals-ancestry-specific-factors-coronary.html
