Could Heart Health be related to Gender?
Two out of every three heart disease patients is male. A new study in the Lancet says that the Y chromosome may hold the key to understanding why men are more frequently plagued by heart disease. There is a cluster of genes that can be one of two variants on the Y chromosome, each referred to as a “haplogroup.” One of these groups causes a 50% increased risk of heart disease compared to the other one, independent of other factors. This may be why some of us know family members or friends that smoked and ignored their cholesterol did not contract heart disease.
The author suggests that a genetic screening test will be developed for this Y chromosome gene cluster, however more studies need to be done to prove the connection between this gene cluster and the increased risk of heart disease. Do you think a genetic screening test will be developed? How would this be similar to BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic screening? How will it be different? What effect will this have on clinicians and their treatment decisions?
(Thank your fellow classmate for this article!)
