ABSTRACT
A new factor has recently been identižed. It is a mutation in the heart protein gene MYBPC3, which increases the risk for heart disease sevenfold. The mutation is carried by 1% of the world’s population and by around 4% of people from the Indian subcontinent. The World Health Organization estimates that in 2010, India will have 60% of the world’s heart disease cases-nearly 4 times its share of the world’s population. The mutated protein causes severe hypertension, in˜ammation, and weakening of the heart muscle. In younger people, the body seems to have an effective mechanism to break down the protein. But with age, the mechanism stops working efžciently, which is why heart disease in people carrying the gene develops in middle age. Undoubtedly, hypercholesterolemia has received the greatest share of attention not only by epidemiologists but also by clinical investigators as well. The relationship of plasma cholesterol levels to CHD is ultimately related to the plasma lipoproteins, which are the vehicles for transporting lipids from the site of origin to their site of utilization. Before discussing the lipoproteins, a brief description of the biochemistry of cholesterol follows.
