Cardiovascular Genetics for Clinicians

Description

All physicians practicing medicine encounter patients suffering from cardiovascular disease. This book has been outlined in such a way that vascular surgeons, general internists, neurologists and cardiologists should be able to use it. The book covers the complete scope of cardiac diseases in addition to chapters on hypertension and atherosclerosis. In many patients there is a family history of cerebrovascular accidents, myocardial infarction or peripheral arterial disease. Also in patients reporting collaps, palpitations and arrhythmias the family is crucial and can provide clues to a genetic cause of the disease. This book is published to guide physicians in the process of determining whether a genetic component is likely to be present. Furthermore, information is provided what the possibilities and limitations of DNA diagnostic techniques are. Finally, the importance of newly identified categories of potential patients, i. e. gene carriers without symptoms or any inducible sign of disease, is highlighted. For some patients a genetic diagnosis is essential to determine appropriate therapy and for counseling? In some other diseases DNA diagnostic tools are available but the relevant for the patients may be less clear. In other families the search for a disease causing gene is ongoing and the possibilities to find genes and to unravel the pathophysiology of the disease is limited by the lack of patients. To give insight into the current state of genetic diagnostics, the authors have classified the cardiovascular diseases. Front Matter....Pages i-xxii Molecular Genetics in Cardiology....Pages 1-12 Clinical Genetics....Pages 13-28 Genetics of Congenital Heart Disease....Pages 29-34 Genetics of Hypertension....Pages 35-49 Lipoproteins and Atherosclerosis....Pages 51-58 Homocysteine, Genetic Determinants and Cardiovascular Risk....Pages 59-69 Genetic Markers of Hemostatic Factors....Pages 71-87 The Pharmacogenetics Of Atherosclerosis....Pages 89-100 Molecular Diagnosis of the Marfan Syndrome....Pages 101-110 Williams-Beuren Syndrome And Supravalvularaortic Stenosis....Pages 111-126 Mitochondrial Cardiomyopathy....Pages 127-137 Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy....Pages 139-154 Dilated Cardiomyopathy....Pages 155-167 Idiopathic Ventricular Fibrillation....Pages 169-176 Diagnosis and Treatment of the Congenital Long Qt Syndrome....Pages 177-190 Atrial Fibrillation....Pages 191-198 Genetics of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy....Pages 199-210 Genome Research and Future Healthcare....Pages 211-216 Back Matter....Pages 221-226