home   genetic news   bioinformatics   biotechnology   literature   journals   ethics   positions   events   sitemap
 
  HUM-MOLGEN -> Genetic News | search  
 

Predicting Stroke Risk In Sickle Cell Anemia

 
  April, 5 2005 10:05
your information resource in human molecular genetics
 
     
A new study published in the April issue of Nature Genetics provides a predictive model that can identify sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients at risk of stroke with greater accuracy and faster than current methods allow, which may be useful as a prognostic test. Stroke is a major risk factor for sickle cell anemia patients under 20 years of age.

Paola Sebastiani, Marco Ramoni and colleagues analyzed 235 variations in 80 candidate genes in 1,398 sickle cell anemia patients, in order to develop a model that captured the genetic and clinical factors that influenced the risk of stroke. The authors validated the model in an independent population of 114 subjects, correctly predicting the occurrence of stroke with 98.2% accuracy.

The analysis found that 25 variations within 11 genes, combined with 4 clinical variables, interact to significantly influence the risk of stroke. These include some factors previously associated with stroke in the general population, including 3 genes in the TGF-beta pathway as well as hemoglobin levels. This provides evidence that stroke risk is a complex trait with multiple genetic and clinical influences, and suggests candidates that may be important in predicting stroke risk in the general population.

Currently, Transcranial Doppler (TCD) flow studies are used to predict the likelihood of stroke in children and young adults with SCA. However, the usefulness of this as a predictive test is limited, as only 10% of cases with abnormal TCD values will have a stroke, while some individuals with normal values will have a stroke.

Author Contact:

Marco Ramoni (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA)
Email: marco_ramoni@harvard.edu

Paola Sebastiani (Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA)
Email: sebas@bu.edu

Also published online.

(C) Nature Genetics press release.


Message posted by: Trevor M. D'Souza

print this article mail this article
Latest News
Variants Associated with Pediatric Allergic Disorder

Mutations in PHF6 Found in T-Cell Leukemia

Genetic Risk Variant for Urinary Bladder Cancer

Antibody Has Therapeutic Effect on Mice with ALS

Regulating P53 Activity in Cancer Cells

Anti-RNA Therapy Counters Breast Cancer Spread

Mitochondrial DNA Diversity

The Power of RNA Sequencing

‘Pro-Ageing' Therapy for Cancer?

Niche Genetics Influence Leukaemia

Molecular Biology: Clinical Promise for RNA Interference

Chemoprevention Cocktail for Colon Cancer

more news ...

Generated by News Editor 2.0 by Kai Garlipp
WWW: Kai Garlipp, Frank S. Zollmann.
7.0 © 1995-2023 HUM-MOLGEN. All rights reserved. Liability, Copyright and Imprint.