Genetics of Cardiovascular DiseaseGenetic interactions in a multifactorial disease

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is a multifactorial disorder, with both environmental and genetic factors contributing. The identification of a specific causal mutation in a particular gene in a patient with early CVD (or more specifically a consistent difference in frequency of such a mutation between CVD cases and matched controls) demonstrates... read morethat the encoded protein in question is a key, rate-limiting step in the pathophysiological processes that underlie CVD. However, since CVD is multifactorial, any single mutation will at best be only making a small contribution to risk.