NHLBI IN THE PRESS

New multi-gene test may help find risk of heart disease, other conditions

Researchers are reporting a new way of analyzing genetic test data that may help identify people at high risk of heart disease and other common medical conditions. The new test might save lives by detecting potentially fatal conditions well before any symptoms appear and allowing doctors to provide appropriate lifestyle modifications or treatments, the researchers suggest. The test measures millions of small genetic variations that add up to cause harm, allowing investigators to calculate a person’s risk or ‘polygenic risk score’ for heart disease and four other serious disorders including type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, breast cancer, and atrial fibrillation. Their study, which is partly funded by NHLBI, appears in Nature Genetics

Media Coverage

|
CBS News
  • Multi-gene test may find risk of heart disease and more
    • |
    Health Day
  • Gene Test Predicts Risk of 5 Common Diseases
    • |
    The New York Times
  • Clues to Your Health Are Hidden at 6.6 Million Spots in Your DNA
    • |
    NBC News
  • Researchers may have way to measure risk of heart disease and more
    • |
    Chicago Sun-Times
  • Researchers may have way to measure risk of heart disease and more
    • |
    Forbes
  • A Harvard Scientist Thinks He Has a Gene Test for Heart Attack Risk. He Wants to Give It Away Free
    • |
    The Medical News
  • New genome analysis could identify people at higher risk of common deadly diseases
    • |
    Medical Xpress
  • Researchers predict risk for common deadly diseases from millions of genetic variants