Purpose of the review: To summarize advances in genomic medicine and anticipated future directions to improve cardiovascular risk reduction.
Recent findings: Mendelian randomization and genome-wide association studies have given significant insights into the role of genetics in dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD), with over 160 gene loci found to be associated with coronary artery disease to date. This has enabled the creation of genetic risk scores that have demonstrated improved risk prediction when added to clinical markers of CVD risk. Incorporation of genomic data into clinical patient care is on the horizon. Genomic medicine is expected to offer improved risk assessment, determination of targeted treatment strategies, and improved detection of lipid disorders causal to CVD development.
Keywords: Cardiovascular prevention; Genetic risk score for coronary artery disease; Genome-wide association studies; Genomics; Polygenic lipid disorder.