Scientists Identify Gene Risk for Illness
Scientists examining the genetic causes of age-related illnesses have found some links to conditions ranging from stroke to glaucoma.
Experts at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine performed an analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS). These studies examine the genetic basis of traits and have identified a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are linked with many diseases, including those related to aging.
Using data from 372 GWAS that identified 1775 SNPs, the researchers created a “genomic landscape” of susceptibility to illnesses. Although they found that 92 percent of the genome was free of SNPs, 0.06 percent of the genome was susceptible to illnesses. The conditions included both age related and non-age related conditions, among them psoriasis, glaucoma, lupus, scleroderma, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart attack and stroke.
The research team said in a statement that their findings indicated a need for doctors to monitor these “specific pathways” to a disease.
The findings appeared in the journal “Aging Cell.”