Newly Identified Gene Strikes in Stroke

Newly Identified Gene Strikes in Stroke

Newly Identified Gene Strikes in Stroke

April 5, 2001 -- Researchers have just identified a gene believed to increase the risk of having a stroke. The gene, which has already been implicated in the risk of developing high blood pressure, seems to affect only whites.

A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted, often by a blocked blood vessel. If a part of the brain is starved of blood for too long, it dies off, causing symptoms such as paralysis, usually on only one side of the body. The third highest cause of death in the U.S., stroke strikes an estimated 600,000 Americans each year.

Previous research has shown that variations of two genes are associated with a high risk of developing high blood pressure. Because high blood pressure is a risk factor for stroke, a team of researchers set out to determine whether these genetic variations are directly linked to the risk of stroke. Their findings are available in the April issue of the journal Stroke.

"We're beginning to use the tools from the Human Genome Project to ... understand the genetics of common diseases such as stroke," study author Eric Boerwinkle, PhD, tells WebMD. "Stroke is one of the major causes of death and a major cause of [illness] in this country, and yet we know very little about the molecular mechanisms underlying it." Boerwinkle is a professor and director of the Human Genetics Center at the University of Texas Science Center at the Houston School of Public Health.

"This study gives hope that one day we may develop a better understanding of the factors that predispose to stroke, which can be a devastating health problem," says expert Robert Hegele, MD, FRCPC, FACP, who wrote an editorial on the study. "[However,] we are living in an age [where] reports of genes as contributing to disease are commonplace, ... so we have to be cautious."

"Stroke is not a simple genetic disease like cystic fibrosis, in which the carrier of the mutant gene is virtually 100% certain of getting the disease," he says. "Stroke is a very complicated disease process that probably has hundreds of different underlying [causes], of which a few might be genetic. ... But it is almost certain that factors like lifestyle, diet, and environment play an important part as well." Hegele is Canada Research Chair in Human Genetics and Blackburn Scientist at Robarts Research Institute as well as a professor of medicine and biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario. Both institutions are in London, Ontario.