Study of genetics of pericarditis reveals interleukin-1 immune cytokines inhibitors as breakthrough treatment

A study of the genetics of pericarditis increases understanding of newly approved drug treatment.

Sequence variants that protect against pericarditis have been discovered at a genomic locus encoding interleukin-1 immune cytokines. A newly approved drug treatment for pericarditis inhibits these cytokines and new a study from deCODE genetics and collaborators can contribute to the further development of this treatment.

A new study called “Variants at the interleukin-1 gene locus and pericarditis” was published today in the journal JAMA Cardiology, by scientists at deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, and their collaborators from Denmark, USA, and Iceland.

The study involves a genome-wide search for variants affecting the risk of pericarditis, a disease characterized by often painful inflammation of the fibrous sack surrounding the heart. A subset of patients experiences recurrent pericarditis that does not respond well to traditional treatment with unspecific anti-inflammatory drugs. The role of specific immune processes in pericarditis is poorly understood and the aim of the study was to use human genetics to shed light on the pathogenesis of the disease.