Stroke is the third highest cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States. Known risk factors for stroke include controllable risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, as well as uncontrollable risk factors such as being over the age of 55 and having a family history of stroke.

In the April 23, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists report that they have identified a region of the human genome that is associated with an increased risk of stroke.

The researchers analyzed DNA information from 19,602 white adults with an average age of 63 years, 1,544 of whom had developed strokes over an average follow-up period of 11 years. They identified regions of the genome that were strongly associated with stroke and then tested these regions among additional groups of people with and without a history of stroke. The researchers identified a region on chromosome 12 that was associated with stroke. This region, called chromosome 12p13, also contains the gene for a molecule that shows increased expression after nerve injury.

This finding suggests that some component of stoke risk can be inherited, but further research would be needed to gain genetic insights that could eventually produce useful diagnostic or predictive tests for identifying those people who are at increased risk for stroke.

Source:

NEJM. 2009;360:1718-1728.