Genetic Approaches to Coronary Heart Disease and Hypertension

Cardiovascular diseases are the principal cause of mortality in many developed countries and are increasing in importance in developing countries where communicable diseases are being brought under control. It is estimated that coronary heart disease (CRD) and cerebrovascular diseases are responsible for between 40-50% of all deaths. Righ blood pressure is common in all industrialized societies and contributes importantly to CRD. It is well known that genetic factors play an important role in the etiology and pathogenes es of cardiovascular diseases and contribute to an individual's susceptibility or resistance to the disease. The application of modern genetic techniques has resulted in the identification of polymorphie markers that are involved in the normal regulation and function of the cardiovascular system. Many of these may contribute to the individual differences in the risk for CRD and hypertension. It is now known that several risk factors or protective factors with respect to cardiovascular diseases are strongly influenced by genes, and it is now possible to identify individual genes contributing to cardiovascular risk. A large bank of genetic knowledge relevant to CRD and hypertension has become available during the past years. As a result, it is now believed that CRD, for example, could be a good model for a feasibility study to determine a way by which preventive measures can be applied. Front Matter....Pages I-XIV Genetics of Hypertension – An Overview....Pages 1-7 A Population Perspective for Genetics Research and Applications to Control Cardiovascular Disease in Utah....Pages 8-19 Cell Membrane Alteration in Primary Hypertension: An Evidence of Its Genomic Source....Pages 20-26 Molecular Genetics and Familial Arterial Hypertension....Pages 27-37 Gene Mapping in Experimental Hypertension....Pages 38-59 Transgenic Mice and the Development of Animal Models and Resources for Hypertension Research....Pages 60-73 Tissue Distribution of Ren-2 Expression in Transgenic Rats....Pages 74-80 Prediction of Hypertension and Stroke for Controlling Cardiovascular Diseases in Genetic Rat Models....Pages 81-97 An Overview of the Genetics of Coronary Heart Disease and Its Risk Factors....Pages 98-109 Genetic Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease in the Japanese Population....Pages 110-126 Genetic Epidemiology of Ischemic Heart Disease and Arterial Hypertension....Pages 127-142 The Role of Lp(a) in Atherosclerosis....Pages 143-151 Liver-Directed Gene Therapy In the Treatment of Familial Hypercholesterolemia....Pages 152-156 Back Matter....Pages 157-159 The use of modern genetic techniques has resulted in the identification of polymorphic markers that are involved in the normal regulation and function of the cardiovascular system. Many of these genes may contribute to the individual differences in the risk of developing coronary heart disease and hypertension. It is now known that several risk or protective factors for cardiovascular diseases are strongly influenced by genes, and it is now possible to identify individual genes which contribute to cardiovascular risk. With the aim of presenting the latest developments in this field, the Fondation Ipsen and the WHO organized a joint meeting in Moscow on December 3-4, 1990. This volume contains the proceedings of the symposium