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Homocysteine and Family History of Coronary Artery Disease

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Homocysteine and Vascular Disease

Part of the book series: Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine ((DICM,volume 230))

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Summary

The risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) or atherosclerosis in other vascular beds can be estimated by determining the presence of conventional risk factors (age, gender, family history, plasma lipids and lipoproteins, diabetes, hypertension and cigarette smoking). Homocysteine is an emerging cardiovascular risk factor. As seen in previous chapters, plasma levels of homocysteine are determined by environmental factors (nutritional, gender, age, vitamin status, renal function) and by genetics. Homocysteine might thus represent a partly heritable cardiovascular risk factor and, in selected individuals, a more complete study of the family may allow the identification of asymptomatic patients at risk. Mutations at genes encoding for enzymes that metabolize homocysteine, such as the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mutation at residue 677 may represent a disease susceptibility gene for the development of CAD.

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  1. Jacques Genest Jr.
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  1. Department of Cardiology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Desk F15, 9500 Euclid Avenue, 44195, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Killian Robinson

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Genest, J. (2000). Homocysteine and Family History of Coronary Artery Disease. In: Robinson, K. (eds) Homocysteine and Vascular Disease. Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine, vol 230. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1789-2_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1789-2_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5431-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-1789-2

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