Underlying genetic risks for a type of heart attack largely affecting younger women revealed

Research led by the1 National Institute for Health and Care Research,2 Leicester Biomedical Research Centre and3 Universite Paris Cite, and supported by worldwide partners has identified new genes that are associated with an increased risk of a type of heart attack primarily affecting 4young to middle-aged women.

5SCAD – or Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection - is when a bruise or bleed occurs in the wall of a coronary artery, cutting off the blood to part of the heart. This leads to a heart attack. Unlike other types of heart attack, SCAD is most common in women under the age of 60 and is a leading cause of6 heart attacks around the time of pregnancy. Furthermore, people who have had a SCAD tend to be generally healthy and SCAD can sometimes happen more than once.

The researchers present a genome-wide association meta-analysis involving a total of 1,917 cases of SCAD and 9,292 controls from European ancestry. They found 16 genes that increased the risk of a SCAD. The identified genes are involved in processes that determine how the cells and connective tissue hold together, and also how the blood clots when bleeding occurs in tissues.

Interestingly, the researchers found that, while many genes linked to a higher risk of SCAD are shared with risk genes for7 conventional coronary artery disease (CAD), they have an opposite effect. This means patients with a SCAD have some genetic protection from the risk of CAD, and is further evidence that these diseases are very different. The only shared risk factor appeared to be8 genetically elevated blood pressure.

Reference:

Genome-wide association meta-analysis of spontaneous coronary artery dissection identifies risk variants and genes related to artery integrity and tissue-mediated coagulation,Nature Genetics,DOI 10.1038/s41588-023-01410-1