Genetic risk factors for heart attack in black patients

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans. Many things can increase your chances of getting the disease. Levels of lipoproteins in your blood affect your risk of heart disease. Lipoproteins carry cholesterol and other substances through the blood. The genes you inherit from your parents may play an important role. Vanderbilt researchers have studied genetic risk factors for heart disease in a large group of patients from all over the country. They found several gene differences (variants) that affect a person’s lipoprotein levels. Five of these variants were also associated with heart attack in black people. In this project, the researchers will try to confirm the link between these variants and heart attack in a new group of patients. They will test BioVU samples from black patients for these variants. They hope to see if the same variants are associated with heart attacks in these BioVU samples. The results may tell us what genetic factors increase the risk of heart disease in blacks. The findings may also suggest new ways to prevent or treat the disease.