THE ROLE OF GENE IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

Interleukin (IL)-18 plays a key role in atherosclerosis and its complications. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. Cardiovascular disease includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart arrhythmia, congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, carditis, aortic aneurysms, peripheral artery disease, thromboembolic disease, and venous thrombosis. The present study investigated the genetic variability of 4 genes of the IL-18 system—IL18, IL18R1, IL18RAP, and IL18BP—in relation to circulating IL-18 levels and cardiovascular mortality. Key Words: coronary disease, genetics, interleukins, inflammation, prognosis.