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Study finds genetic basis of aortic valve disease

Published: 7 February 2013

A large international study has identified a gene mutation that increases the risk of developing a common and potentially fatal condition called aortic valve disease. The work pinpoints a mutation on a gene responsible for the production of a type of cholesterol known as lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a). The lead author, Dr. George Thanassoulis of º«¹úÂãÎè in Montreal, says the mutation is found in about 13 per cent of people of European descent. It occurs to a lesser degree in people of African-American and Hispanic ethnicity, but is barely seen in people of Chinese-American ancestry.

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