In a new study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers at Karolinska Institutet show that genetic traits influence the cellular composition of atherosclerotic plaques, which over time will affect the risk of such lesions to cause a stroke or heart attack.
Karolinska InstitutetNov 20 2024 The new knowledge can be used to improve the risk assessment and treatment of patients with atherosclerosis in the future.
Previous research has shown that heredity is important for the levels of cholesterol, other lipids and circulating immune cells in the blood, but now we see that heredity also affects the composition of smooth muscle cells in the blood vessels of atherosclerotic patients. This can affect the development of atherosclerotic plaques, but also the tendency for the plaques to become unstable and cause a stroke.
The new knowledge about genetic influence on plaque cells can be used together with modern diagnostic imaging and AI to make better assessments of future risk of stroke or heart attack, or prediction of response to different drugs. Atherosclerotic plaques form over decades through the deposition of blood lipids such as cholesterol in the innermost layer of the vessel wall. As the plaques become unstable and rupture, blood clots form and can completely block the vessel or be carried by the bloodstream to other organs such as the brain. In either case, there is a lack of oxygen in the tissues as the blood does not reach them, which can cause a heart attack or a stroke.
Heart Attack Stroke Atherosclerosis Blood Cardiovascular Disease Cell Cholesterol Genetic Lipids Research Surgery
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