Dignity Health in Arizona is starting a research study that will use genetic testing to identify individuals at risk of developing heart disease.
Researchers from Dignity Health's Chandler Regional Medical Center, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center will gather approximately 2,000 DNA samples from men and women between the ages of 40 and 60 with no known history of heart disease. The samples will be analyzed for genetic markers known to cause heart disease at Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center Clinical Lab in Houston.
Once the DNA genotyping is complete, the Dignity Health group will evaluate each study participant's risk of heart disease; other factors such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and smoking history will also be assessed. Participants who wish to know their results will be notified, Dignity Health said.
