Vascular endothelial growth factor levels and gene variants predict prognosis in heart patients.

What is it about?

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a central role in the formation of new blood vessels, including the formation of collateral circulation in the heart that bypasses clogging arteries due to atherosclerosis. This study investigated whether 3 gene variants and/or baseline levels of VEGF in the blood were predictive of survival after an acute heart disease event in a group of 1927 patients. Survival was associated with VEGF levels and (in males) with a variant of the VEGF gene.

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Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash

Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Markers of elevated risk for clinical outcome in heart disease are important for identifying individuals at high risk. High risk groups can be targeted with intensive treatment regimes and/or more frequent visits to clinic. Using genetic and plasma markers is relatively non-invasive and appears to be a useful complement to established predictors of risk.