Health Care News

The Prevalence of Deformed Gene Causes Heart Disease in South Asians

A recent research by a team of 25 scientists from different countries has disclosed that about 4 per cent of Indians are carrying a gene variant, which makes them vulnerable to develop cardiomyopathy. This is the condition that affects heart muscles and often results in breakdown of the heart. Since the gene variant affects the genetic code for MYBPC3 gene, which enables the cells to produce the cardiac myosin binding protein C, the heart muscles fail to work in proper way.

According to Kumarasamy Thangaraj of CCMB, head of the study, the begin of the metamorphosis of the gene dates back to nearly 33,000 years in India and has made its presence in many south Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Indonesia etc.

Perundurai S Dhandapany, the first author of the paper said that the unusual change in the gene keeps people at greater risk of getting affected by Cardiomyopathy. After conducting tests on about 6000 people from 107 different ethnic populations all over the country, the scientists told that almost all the Indian populations are carrying the deformed version of the gene at various intensities like 2 to 8 per cent.

Relatively, the presence of the deformed gene is higher in the people of south and western states than that of northern states and the people from north-east and Andaman are not subjected to the deformed gene.

The rate of heart failure as a result of the presence of the deformed gene is more in the people of south India than in the people of north and north-east.

Findings useful to know the disease process

The scientists of the study said, the findings are very much useful to better understand the disease process and the identification of deformed gene will be helpful to know who are at greater risk of heart failure, so that they can be kept away from the immediate risk.

The Hindu