MI is more inheritable than stroke
In a study published on July 26, 2011 in Circulation: Cardiovscular Genetics, the relationship between inherited heart disease (myocardial infarction or MI, researched through examining ACS - Acute Coronary Syndrome data) and stroke (using TIA or stroke data) was studied.
What they found was that there is a moderate link between MI and familiar inheritance, while links with stroke are not nearly as strong. The study looked at the histories of 906 people with ACS and 1015 people with stroke or TIA. The results are:
In the patients that had a TIA or stroke:
- 21.3% had one parent with stroke.
- 2.1% had two parents with stroke.
- 8.1% had at least one sibling with stroke.
- 1.4% had at least two siblings with stroke.
In the patients with MI (ACS), the results were:
- 30.6% had one parent with MI.
- 5.2% had two parents with MI.
- 21.1% had at least one sibling with MI.
- 7.1% had at least two siblings with MI.
So the results confirm the long-held conclusion that heart disease has an inherited or genetic component. It also has determined that these same factors have much less of an influence on stroke or TIA. The factors involved with stroke seem to be largely environmental, and depend little on genetics inherited from your parents.
What it does confirm is that, if you have one or more parents or grandparents with heart disease, and especially if you have a sibling with heart disease - pay attention!
Compared with stroke risks, people with ACS have over a five fold chance of having two or more siblings with the same issue.
For myself, this is a two-pronged article. I have been affected by both heart disease and stroke. For the heart disease part, the only factor the cardiologist can point to is my parents. The neurologist just shrugs his shoulders when we talk about the risk factors I have for stroke - I have none.
Sigh...
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