Genome-wide analysis identifies novel susceptibility loci for myocardial infarction

Abstract

Aims While most patients with myocardial infarction (MI) have underlying coronary atherosclerosis, not all patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) develop MI. We sought to address the hypothesis that some of the genetic factors which establish atherosclerosis may be distinct from those that predispose to vulnerable plaques and thrombus formation. Methods We carried out a genome-wide association study for MI in the UK Biobank (n∼472 000), followed by a meta- and results analysis with summary statistics from the CARDIoGRAMplusC4D Consortium (n∼167 000). Multiple independent replication analyses and functional approaches were used to prioritize loci and evaluate positional candidate genes. ..