Only 50 percent of a person’s risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) can be explained by traditional risk factors like high cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle and obesity, according to Maren Scheuner, MD. A person’s family history is the most important predictor, she said.

Dr. Scheuner, director of the GenRISK Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, was the keynote speaker at the Michigan Statewide Genetics Symposium sponsored by WSU’s Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics in May. In keeping with the day’s theme, Genetic Impact on Chronic Disease and Public Health, Dr. Scheuner spoke about genetic factors in heart disease.

Her studies have shown that 80 percent of people who develop CHD have the same cholesterol values as those who do not develop CHD. “This makes it hard to see who’s at risk. Of course it’s good to modify cholesterol levels if they are too high, but it’s hard to absolutely predict who will be affected by heart disease based on this alone,” Dr. Scheuner said. She believes the best solution is to look at the interaction of risk factors with a genetic basis.

 “As a geneticist, I view coronary heart disease as a complex metabolic disorder. It involves lipids, insulin sensitivity, thrombosis, platelet  function, homocysteine, and many other factors. In addition, variations in genes and in the environment can make us more or less susceptible to the disease,” she said.

Because CHD is not a single-gene disorder, Dr. Scheuner admits that it’s complicated to sort out all the factors, but it’s critical to improving disease prevention. By understanding the genetic risk and family history, she hopes to provide secondary prevention to those people who already have the disease and primary prevention to all relatives who are likely to be affected.

The genetics symposium also hosted speakers who addressed genetic factors related to diabetes, mental illness, prenatal diagnosis and stroke. Another program highlight was Jean Chabut from the Michigan Department of Community Health who discussed “State Public Health Programs for Chronic Disease: Is There a Role for Genetics?”