ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including stroke, is the leading cause of illness and death
worldwide, and is eminently preventable. Genetic studies have demonstrated that in most
cardiovascular conditions, specific inherited polymorphisms can influence the therapeutic
response. Moreover, it is apparent that there is considerable interindividual variation in
the effectiveness of cardiovascular system drugs. These differences are due to both
environmental factors (e.g., salt intake, smoking) and genetic variation. Ultimately, they
result in abnormalities in gene expression (over-, under-, zero-, or defective production
of an enzyme) that yield phenotypic changes that are of pathological significance in
such disorders as hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarc-
tion, and arterial stiffness. Molecular genetic studies have also identified defects in ion
channels, contractile or structural proteins, and signaling molecules that play a role in
disease pathogenesis.
