In response to a study published in Nature Genetics which looks at the rate of heart failure in South Asians with a particular genetic mutation (1), Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said:

"This study underpins the strong genetic nature of some forms of heart disease. It provides good grounds for screening people of South Asian origin with unexplained heart failure and screening their families if positive."

"However, there is no evidence yet that early detection will lead to improved outcome since we have no idea if the outlook for this group can be modified by conventional heart failure treatments.

"Much more research is needed firstly, to see if less dramatic changes in the same gene lead or predispose people to more common forms of heart failure and, secondly to see if treatments can be developed to improve the outcome for patients who carry the mutation."

Notes

(1) Issued in response to 'A common Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein C variant associated with cardiomyopathies in South Asia' by Dhandapany et al published online by Nature Genetics. DOI 10.1038/ng.309

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