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One In 100 Carry Mutation For Heart Disease
mmmscience brings us news of a new study, published in Nature Genetics by an international team of scientists, that tells a scary story: globally, 1% of the population carry a gene mutation that is almost guaranteed to lead to some form of heart problems. On the Indian subcontinent, the prevalence is 4%. The mutation is a 25-letter deletion of DNA data on the heart protein gene MYBPC3, believed to have arisen in India 30,000 years ago. The researchers say that the mutation wasn't selected out of the population because its effects don't occur until after the childbearing years. The article mentions a prediction that "by 2010 India's population will suffer approximately 60% of the world's heart disease."
Looks like its time to bail on those life/health insurance stocks.
If our elected representatives no longer represent us, do we still live in a Democracy?
...and that our designer was a racist and a dumbass.
India cannot support hundreds of millions of elderly pensioners. Long-term this will probably be a competitive advantage over China.
I was recently diagnosed with Giant Cell Myocarditis at age 29 and am now awaiting a heart transplant. No one knows why it hit me.
MYBPC3 = MY Blood Pressure Crap Crap Crap
I think there are too many people over there ... 4% is something we should accept ... I think. ...
it is better than having a younger generation than old generation hanging around
If the prevalence in India is 4 in 100 and the prevalence in all of humanity is 1 in 100 then the prevalence in all areas outside of India must be very very minute.
You're going to die of heart disease, and I'd imagine there are many more mutations that we haven't found yet.
It would end up in my medical records and I could never get health insurance again.
A mutant with 60+million descendants. Perhaps there is hope for me after all.
Roland Piquepaille hasn't updated his blog in a while. I'm started to get worried.
This is why I'm going pre-med. In the hopes that within 8 to 10 years I'll be a specialist in cardiology. While my motives aren't exactly pure (money) I'll still be helping some people. But seriously, Baby boomers... you guys are so boned.
Eat sleep die
Watch health insurers start demanding blood samples.
They already rifle through our health records freely thanks to holes they bought in our so called medical "privacy" standards.
As the genome gets further and further mapped, expect more and more people to be "uninsurable at any price".
I welcome another 1-4% of the world to my hell.
VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
It always amazes me how science-leaning people such as those on slashdot seem to think all disease should be made to go away. Anybody who has any sense of reality knows that our species is FAR BEYOND overpopulated. I find it sickening that those who claim to have logical minds think that unnatural population levels can "be made to work".
The fact is that we need BILLIONS of people to die if the planet and its inhabitants (all living species, not just human) are ever going to have a chance. Call me sadistic, but for the sake of every other species of life on this planet... I wish the rate of heart disease was 30-60%, not 1%.
Oooh, 1 in 100! Sounds scary! I'm at risk! Wait... lets apply some critical thinking to that number, shall we?
globally, 1% of the population carry a gene mutation that is almost guaranteed to lead to some form of heart problems.
World population is about 6.7B. Total number of people with this mutation in the world:
1% * 6.7B = 67M.
On the Indian subcontinent, the prevalence is 4%.
According to Wikipedia, the subcontinent "accounts for about 40 percent of Asia's population," which is 4B. Total number of people there with this mutation:
4% * 40% * 4B = 64M
So, the percentage of people NOT on the Indian subcontinent that carry this mutation is:
(67M - 64M) / (6.7B - 40%*4B) = 0.06%.
With such a great geographical disparity in incidence, using the global 1% figure to generate the headline of "1 in 100 carry mutation" is incredibly misleading.
The linked article is quite a bit better. It's titled "The heart disease mutation carried by 60 million," and focuses on this as being primarily an Indian problem. Somehow I'm not surprised to see kdawson as the editor on this one.
"by 2010 India's population will suffer approximately 60% of the world's heart disease."
In other words, NEXT YEAR.
I'm glad I wasn't the 1st one.
the thing i hate about these nonsense genetic claims, is that there is a 100% probability you are going to die of something. so claiming 60% of people will die of heart disease (because heart failure and cancer are what take out most of our population) is like pronouncing you have discovered people grow old and die. what would be more accurate, but you will never see them do it, is to tell us who will die a PREMATURE death due to heart disease. the reason they won't do it is there is far more to what kills you than genetics and admitting as much might see grant money going else where.
If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
With over 6 billion 1% possibly looks like a natural population control mechanism.
Why the hell is my left arm hurting?
It always amazes me how science-leaning people such as those on slashdot seem to think all disease should be made to go away. Anybody who has any sense of reality knows that our species is FAR BEYOND overpopulated. I find it sickening that those who claim to have logical minds think that unnatural population levels can "be made to work".
The fact is that we need BILLIONS of people to die if the planet and its inhabitants (all living species, not just human) are ever going to have a chance. Call me sadistic, but for the sake of every other species of life on this planet... I wish the rate of heart disease was 30-60%, not 1%.
Or we could look at it from the other perspective.
Our evolutionary specialty is technology. Crisies place pressure on us to create new technology, we lose part of our species, then create the new technology and move on.
The dramatic increase in population is necessary to compel the colonization of nearby celestial bodies.
I applaud it, and hope it continues. We either adapt or die, and if we can't exercise our evolutionary niche, then it was truly limited and its time for us to go.
VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
Don't worry about carrying a 1% gene. Carrying a BigMac bag is far more likely to lead to heart attacks than genetics.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
As President Rossevelt's doctor is quoted as saying, words to the effect of "A physician could expect to see one or two cases in a whole career."
Genetics is just another red-herring.
For all you know, the last time you were given a drugs test at work, you were screened by the company for such risks. It's not like you'll ever know if they know. They're not going to tell you, all you'll know is that your premiums seem higher than normal.
So go ahead. Take the test anonymously. You can buy a "gift kit" to be delivered to a PO Box, the company doing the testing won't care. Then you will know the answer and be able to take sensible precautions (when they're known).
It won't help the insurance companies, but they're rich enough and manipulative enough that they don't need your help and there's nothing you can do to stop them. You can reject all the testing companies you like, but if they wanted to know that badly, they'd know.
Isn't it smarter to know at least as much as your insurance company about your health? Paranoia won't save you now.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Now that they've identified the problem, there's a reasonable chance that it can be treated. It might well require a weekly pill or some such, or even a shot, as RNA is too delicate to trust to the gut. But many such things are treatable already.
India has a flourishing medical community, including many pharmaceutical companies. I would expect them to jump on this quickly.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
"Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing." --Redd Foxx
Game: Player 'Donald J Trump' now has AI skill level 'experimental'.
Reading this ... gives .. me .. a .. heart.. attack ... worrying ... too .. much ...
(and if I didn't get one, anti-William Shattner folks would sure have a fit ;))
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..
That's one worrysome reply! You guys are a menace for people with a weak heart!
NYRGHRHGHGHHGHGHHHH
Did you mean: NYGHRHGHGHGHGHHHH
No standard web pages containing all your search terms were found.
Your search - NYRGHRHGHGHHGHGHHHH - did not match any documents.
--- I am known for the ones who want to find me on the net. Is that a privacy risk or a privilege? One might wonder..
The gene is responsible for Hypertrophic Cardio Myopathy. HCM causes a thickening of the heart muscle and is often treated with medication, installation of an ICD to mitigate the chance of sudden cardiac death and for those with obstructions, a myectomy can be done. Something like 5% of HCM cases will require a heart transplant.
Gene testing is something I'll be doing soon to identify exactly which mutation I have, several are responsible for HCM. Once that's done I'll have my kids tested so they don't have to go through the annual testing that they are beginning this year.
HCM is the number one cause of sudden cardiac death in people under the age of 30. You may have heard of professional or college level athletes dying on the court/field/ whatever. This is usually the cause.
I am in otherwise excellent condition. I have had a "healthy lifestyle" my whole life but now I can't walk up a flight of stairs without experiencing shortness of breath. I will likely have a myectomy this year.
The good news is that this operation has a very high success rate. Another piece of good news is that if you have HCM and are treated by a specialist your life expectancy jumps back up to that of the general population.
I'm of Indian descent, and have had some heart abnormalities since I was 17. I suppose I should be worried about this. On the other hand, they'll be needing more cardiologists in India soon, so I guess that could be a good career path.
Anyhow, I once got a letter from my cardiologist's office informing me that my cardiologist had died of a heart attack. My file has been transferred over to another cardiologist.
Giant cells seem to be a function of the body to fight off infections. I have a feeling, that in the future, we will find out that many diseases are caused/triggered by viral infections, along with some failure of a tumor suppressor gene.
One of my patients had a heart transplant 20+ years ago and is doing great, so things look really good for you, once ya do the engine change.
Best of luck to ya.
Please donate organs - worms have no use for them.
..........FULL STOP.
Honestly, even as a very specialized surgeon, if I wanted to make money, I could have done much better on Wall St. My brother who is an economist, has done quite well, and works much less than I.
The job has sooo many hassles, and stress that if you don't love what you're doing, then it's not worth it.
Seriously.
Honestly, I love my fucking job, and would still do it, even if I won the lottery. Just would work less than 50 hours a week, instead of 80.
..........FULL STOP.
Let's see
4 years med school (100k debt)
3 years medicine residency (some more debt)
4 years cardiology fellowship (50k/year)
That's 11 years, and only 7 of those will you be making any money at all (start at 30k and work your way up to 50k for 80 hrs/week).
If money is your goal, then you'd be better off working now, placing some in the bank, and let the magic of compounded interest make it for you.
..........FULL STOP.
Feeling it to be the ohh ! What a gal! .. Gotta crush on you...
Gal - Looks like u r an Indian ..and seems like u r mutated.
[Its not the heart disease ... Its the HEART Problem],
Scribed from - Intercepts of Yoga and Kamasutra.
See, a silver lining in the outsourcing of I.T. conundrum.
As the genome gets further and further mapped, expect more and more people to be "uninsurable at any price".
Discrimination based on genetics is already outlawed by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.
Prove that's the reason they turned you down?
The researchers say that the mutation wasn't selected out of the population because its effects don't occur until after the childbearing years.
It's not that simple though. One's roll in the gene pool does not (indirectly) end when you lose fertility. The grandparents care for the children, and in doing so, their children's (related) DNA is encouraged. Also, unlike women, men don't have menopause, and are also affected by heart disease etc and a man's DNA is just as genetically useful at 60 as it was at 25.
I'd question that researcher's conclusion..
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
I'd like to thank India for taking on this burden.
Now if we can find the who carries the gene for being a moron. I suspect its more than 1 in a 100.
That's an interesting development in a well-known genetic heart defect. Myosin binding protein C is well known, and mutations in MYPBC3 are one of the most common causes of heart defects in humans (and cats).
If parents are comfortable with prenatal testing and abortion, this genetic defect could be effectively eliminated, in the same way that Down's syndrome has declined dramatically. In principle, the MYPBC3 defect would eventually be eliminated from the population.
MYPBC3 is a pretty cool protein, BTW. It connects the light chains and the heavy chains that make up muscle fibers. Obviously if the proteins that make up muscle fibers come apart you're going to have problems.
Here's a beautiful illustration http://pawpeds.com/pawacademy/health/mybpc3/figure1.jpg which shows how MYPBC3 comes out of the thick filament and holds onto the thin filament, sort of like this:
____________
====/==/====
(That illustration comes from an article here http://pawpeds.com/pawacademy/health/mybpc3/ about how Dr. Kittleson, in a stroke of nominative determinism, studied the defect in kittens.)
Another common cause of heart defects is protein called beta-myosin heavy chain (MYH7). MYH7 also comes out of the heavy chain. It's the one that looks like a bean pod. It looks a little like this:
____________
====P==P====
Here's a kewl animation of how it works http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/movies/actin_myosin.html with myosin walking along actin filaments. If you don't think this animation is funny, then molecular biology is not one of your aptitudes.
Or just do a Google image search for actin and myosin http://images.google.com/images?rls=ig&hl=en&q=actin+and+myosin
I'm sorry to say that the Wikipedia entries on this subject are not too user-friendly right now. Somebody should work on that.
For all you know, the last time you were given a drugs test at work, you were screened by the company for such risks. It's not like you'll ever know if they know. They're not going to tell you, all you'll know is that your premiums seem higher than normal.
Prior to taking a drug test, you will be given a form. Read the form. List any objections (in writing) on your copy of the form or a copy of the copy. Sign and date and such forth. There are many reasons to object to any such test. These include:
a) How will the information be used?
b) Who is responsible for an inaccurate test?
c) What EXACTLY will be tested?
d) What are your options to appeal the results?
e) How will the test be conducted? are they using the most accurate techniques or the cheapest? Clean people want an accurate test. Users would rather not take an accurate test.
"The researchers say that the mutation wasn't selected out of the population because its effects don't occur until after the childbearing years"
That doesn't make sense. Surviving beyond childbearing years would have a large impact on your offspring's reproductive capacity.
Unless perhaps the effect of the gene kicks in just as you're getting old enough to require support rather than give it. In which case, the gene might even be selected *for*.
Posting as AC because 1. no account 2. cold-hearted analysis.
It just hit me like a flying manhole cover (whose nation of origin need not be revealed).Now I understand the need for vegetarianism.
[clunk, falls on floor grasping chest]
Ha Ha!! [Nelson]
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
James Watson has 20 genes in the 5000 disease gene database according to an article in Nature last year. In last week's Sunday's New York Times Steve Pinker, one of the first 13 people to have their genomes fully sequenced, said he had several unexpressed bad genes, including a gene for baldness.
I believe Congress is planning a law that says insurance companies cant deny on basis of genome, due to the current lack of understanding.
Companies still drug test?
Man...I've not come across that since one of my first "real jobs" back in like '93 or so...none since then, and these are even on high security jobs.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
And since the results are kept in secret, and since any "extras" ordered via back-handers will be doubly-secret, I don't see how anyone could ever hope to discover if the objections were honoured. There will always be plausible denial. Businesses have had thousands more years than Government to develop the perfect mix of corruption, stealth and finesse. This doesn't mean such things will happen on any given screening, what it means is that you can't ever know.
The only consequence to that I can see is that you should protect yourself as if they know nothing, but learn as much as you can about your genetics as if they knew everything. Maybe the reason insurance companies charge such fantastically high rates is because they already know far more than the rest of us. (I doubt it, because health-care in the US is double that of the next-closest industrialized nation for the same standard of care per capita, and Americans can't be that unhealthy. Well, given the number of Blobs I've seen crunching the street, maybe they can.)
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Absolutely!
I've been lucky enough to be pretty healthy, but every time I can remember seeing a doctor for something relatively minor, they found ways to use "creative wording" to bill my insurance the maximum amount possible.
EG. One time, I had a wax build-up in my left ear. I woke up one morning and could barely hear out of it. The clinic I went to charged me for the nurse who tried to remove it, but wasn't very skilled at using the rinsing tool that's used to clean out the ear. So she went to ask for help from one of the doctors who was more skilled at it. (He spent a whole 45 seconds to a minute, and got my ear situation fixed.) When my insurance statement came back in the mail later, I saw I was billed the regular fee for the service, but a second fee for "Level 2 care" was added, because the doctor got involved, and that bill was over 3x the first fee.
I mean, technically, I guess this wasn't "fraudulent" -- but I think it's borderline dishonest at the very least. I'm pretty sure if I was paying out of pocket as an uninsured patient, they would never have billed it the same way.
here comes the solution for medicare problem
I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
And I had a heart attack last month. At 39. If I'd known about this, I wouldn't have chosen to be from the Indian subcontinent!
Two markers, for most diseases, are turning out the be a good prediction mechanism.
Heart-attack Boy!
Thats because you sit in front of a computer screen not the controls of a 747.
09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
+2 Troll is Slashdot's way of saying groupthink is confused