New Heart Disease Markers Discovered

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Scott, who has performed similar (albeit unpublished) analyses, said he believed the findings. "We basically replicate all of those loci, the headline loci anyways," he said. "I'm sure it's right, absolutely."

According to Ridker, "The 'Aha' moment was recognizing that these six or seven genes are all interrelated to these metabolic pathways. The question is, I know CRP predicts heart attack and stroke, and these genes are related to CRP. Do these provide clues to what the proper interventions might be? And we think the answer is yes."

Indeed, given the link between CRP and cardiovascular disease, researchers have instigated clinical trials to determine whether individuals with elevated CRP levels, but low cholesterol, should be treated proactively. Ridker heads one of those trials, called JUPITER, which involves the use of a cholesterol-lowering statin called Crestor. On March 31, AstraZeneca announced it was closing JUPITER, "because there is unequivocal evidence of a reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality amongst patients who received CRESTOR when compared to placebo."

But Scott cautioned that fundamental questions must be addressed before any drugs or therapies targeting the loci identified in these two studies can be developed.

"Is it [CRP] merely a response to inflammation, or does it make the inflammation worse?" he asked. "Until that question is addressed, these genes are not a valid drug target."

Metabolic syndrome comprises a collection of risk factors that often lead to cardiovascular disease, including abdominal obesity, elevated blood sugar, elevated blood pressure and abnormal lipids, said Fox. According to the American Heart Association, the syndrome affects almost 50 million Americans.

More information

For more on metabolic syndrome, visit the American Heart Association.

SOURCES: Paul M Ridker, M.D., M.P.H., Eugene Braunwald Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and director, Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; Alexander P. Reiner, M.D., research associate professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle; Caroline S. Fox, M.D., medical officer, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Framingham, Mass.; James Scott, M.D., professor, medicine and cardiovascular medicine, Imperial College London; May 2008,The American Journal of Human Genetics

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