title: The Siblings With Ischemic Stroke Study (SWISS): a progress report.
abstract: There is increasing evidence that genetic factors are associated with ischemic stroke, including multiple recent reports of association with the gene PDE4D, encoding phosphodiesterase 4D, on chromosome 5q12. Genetic studies of stroke are important but can be logistically difficult to perform. This article reviews the design of the Siblings With Ischemic Stroke Study (SWISS) and discusses problems in performing a sibling-based pedigree study where proband-initiated consent is used to enroll pedigree members. Proband-initiated enrollment optimizes privacy protections for family members, but it is associated with a substantial pedigree non-completion rate such that 3 to 4 probands must be identified to obtain one completed sibling pedigree. This report updates the progress of enrollment in the SWISS protocol, discusses barriers to pedigree completion and describes innovative approaches used by the SWISS investigators to enhance enrollment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32224, USA. meschia.james@mayo.edu
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Meschia
authors.forename: Brett M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Kissela
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Brott
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Bradford B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Worrall
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Alexa N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Skarp
mesh_terms: D015105:3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D054684:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 3; D054703:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 4; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010375:Pedigree; D012042:Registries; D012107:Research Design; D018401:Sample Size; D035781:Siblings; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015105:3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases; D054684:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 3; D054703:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 4; C517376:PDE4D protein, human