Genetics of (premature) coronary artery disease

Jeanette Erdmann, Heribert Schunkert

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and its major complication, myocardial infarction (MI), remain the number one cause of death in industrialized society, causing approximately one in every six deaths in the United States in 2010. CAD is the clinical manifestation of a chronic pathomorphological process that occurs in the vascular wall. Carl Müller (1886- 1983) was the first to identify a link between high plasma cholesterol, xanthoma, and premature coronary heart disease in 1939, providing early evidence of a genetic component of CAD and its association with cholesterol. Today, it is well established that CAD arises from the interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors. Likewise, a multifactorial etiology applies to many of the underlying cardiovascular risk factors, including hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationClinical Cardiogenetics
Subtitle of host publicationSecond Edition
PublisherSpringer International Publishing
Pages355-371
Number of pages17
ISBN (Electronic)9783319442037
ISBN (Print)9783319442020
DOIs
StatePublished - 30 Nov 2016

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Genetics of (premature) coronary artery disease'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this