The Genetics of Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Disease

Atherosclerosis is a disease characterized by plaque lesion formation in arteries resulting in the narrowing and hardening of the vessel. This process causes a restriction in blood flow and can lead to further complications including the development of coronary artery disease, heart disease, and myocardial infarction. For many years, atherosclerosis was thought to be a disease resulting from hypercholesterolemia, but it is now known that the inflammatory process is a greater contributor to the pathogenesis of the disease. Numerous genes have been identified that play a role in the development of atherosclerosis, and novel therapeutics are being developed to treat it, but prevention is preferable to treatment. The goal of this thesis is to discuss the atherosclerotic inflammatory process, genetic factors of atherosclerosis, current therapeutic strategies, and how the use of genetic profiling should be used to prevent the development of atherosclerosis.