A New Cause Of Heart Disease

A New Cause Of Heart Disease.
A genetic varying occurring in a significant horde of people with heart disease appears to raise the odds for heart fall or death by 38 percent, a new study suggests. This "stress reaction gene," which Duke University scientists then linked to an overproduction of cortisol, a stress hormone that can strike heart risks, was found in about 17 percent of men and 3 percent of women with heart disease. The unique finding, also from Duke researchers, offers a potential new explanation for a biological predisposition to hub disease and early death, the study authors said.

The research may finally lead to personalized therapies for heart disease patients. "This is very exciting, but it's very preliminary. It certainly merits further investigation," said look at author Beverly Brummett, an associated professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Duke University School of Medicine. "Down the line, if the findings were replicated, then the next measure would be to test people on a widespread basis for the gene and watch them more closely".