Researchers have identified a gene that may put people at greater risk of strokes and heart attacks. [s]BBC News[/s] reports they say the gene fault may encourage the formation of blood clots – the ultimate cause of most heart attacks and strokes. Scientists hope gene tests may help doctors one day to pinpoint individuals more likely to suffer these conditions. Around one in 10 in the Caucasian population carries this variation of the gene, named PIA2. Researchers from [b]King’s College London[/b] reviewed more than 80 studies involving about 50,000 people, the largest analysis of this genetic fault to date. They found individuals with PIA2 were more likely to have a stroke than those without the gene.
[link url=http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28117422]Full BBC News report[/link]
[link url=http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0101518]PLOS One abstract[/link]