Loading...
Two international research teams have independently discovered a particular region on chromosome 9 that is strongly associated with coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction in white populations.
One team replicated the association between the risk allele and CHD in six different groups in North America and Europe that comprised more than 23,000 people (but not in two African populations tested). The researchers found a graded, escalating increase of CHD risk in heterozygotes and homozygotes compared with noncarriers — an association that remained strong after adjustment for confounding factors. Homozygosity, noted in about 25% of whites, raised CHD risk by 30% to 40%.
The other team studied more than 17,000 people in Iceland and the U…