Faculty of Medicine

Genetic disposition doubles risk of heart attack in men

Scientists at the Faculty of Medicine have been able to prove that a certain genetic disposition at least doubles the risk of a heart attack in men. What is more, this increased risk is irrespective of other known risk factors, such as age, sex, diabetes or body mass index. The investigation is based on the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study. Due to the exceptionally long duration of the study, researchers were able not only to look at the actual state of the health of the subjects, but also to review the outbreak and course of the disease over a period of several years before reconciling this information with the respective genetic disposition of the affected persons.