BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
University of Cincinnati researchers have discovered a gene defect that appears to accelerate the pace of congestive heart failure -- one of the leading causes of death from cardiac disease.
Dr. Stephen Liggett, director of pulmonary medicine at UC, led a team of seven cardiologists, nurses and biostatisticians who uncovered a genetic defect they call Ile164.
The defect does not cause heart failure, but those with the defect and the disease were five times more likely to die than heart failure patients without the defect.
A study detailing their findings was published Thursday in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a national medical journal. Heart failure affects about 4.8 million Americans, and kills about 50 percent of patients within five years.
The condition has several causes, including past heart attacks, high blood pressure and viral infections.
The study of 259 patients found that 58 percent of those with the defect died within one year, compared to 24 percent of patients without the mutation.
The findings mean that it's important to develop a test that can easily detect the defect, Dr. Liggett said.
And people with the Ile164 defect should be considered for early, aggressive treatment -- including heart transplants -- even though their current symptoms may be mild.
