Coronary heart disease (CHD) involves blockages in one or more of the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart.
These blockages develop due to deposition of fatty material or “plaques” on the inner lining of the arteries, a process called atherosclerosis. Symptoms occur when the blockages compromise blood flow.
Heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs if the blood supply to the heart is cut off for more than a few minutes, causing damage to the heart muscle. Depending on how much the heart muscle is damaged, heart function can be anywhere from mildly to severely disrupted. Severe heart attacks can result in heart failure and even death. CHD can also present as chest pain without immediate injury to the heart muscle (angina), and sudden cardiac death. Angina commonly precedes heart attacks.
CHD is a progressive disease that begins early in life but symptoms generally do not appear until middle age or later. CHD is the main cause of death in the developed countries and it is estimated that over 1.35 million North Americans will have a heart attack in the year 2008.
Several studies have found evidence of a genetic contribution to CHD and heart attacks. Two common genetic variants have been discovered that are associated with an increased risk of heart attack; one variant near the CDKN2A/2B genes on chromosome 9 and another in the CELSR2/PSRC1 genes on chromosome 1. The variant near the CDKN2A/2B genes is a particularly strong risk factor for early-onset heart attacks (occurring earlier than 50 years of age in men and 60 years of age in women).
The deCODEme Genetic Scan identifies the two variants listed above in customers of European descent and provides interpretation of their associated risk for the development of CHD and heart attack as well as early-onset heart attack. In East Asians, the deCODEme Genetic Scan currently only identifies the variant on chromosome 9. Currently no data are available for people of other ethnicities for the variants listed above. Please note that the deCODEme Genetic Scan does not identify rare gene variants linked to the highly inherited forms of CHD which greatly increase the risk of heart attack.
select population
This disease has different risk results for different populations. Below you can select the population you belong to.