title: Shared and non-shared familial susceptibility of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, peripheral artery disease and aortic disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about whether the four main manifestations of arterial vascular disease (coronary heart disease = CHD, ischemic stroke, peripheral artery disease = PAD, and aortic (i.e. atherosclerosis/aneurysm) disease = AD) share familial susceptibility. The aim of this nationwide study was to determine the familial risks of concordant (same disease in proband and exposed relative) and discordant (different disease in proband and exposed relative) cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the Swedish Multigeneration Register on individuals aged 0-76 years were linked to Swedish Hospital Discharge Register data for the period 1964-2008. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for CHD (n = 140,708 cases), ischemic stroke (n = 73,771), PAD (n = 18,982) and AD (n = 7879) were calculated for siblings of individuals hospitalized due to CHD, stroke, PAD or AD compared to those of unaffected siblings. The procedure was repeated for parent-offspring and spouses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All concordant and discordant sibling risks were increased for both males and females. Concordant risks were generally higher than discordant risks. The highest sibling risks were observed for premature concordant disease (<55 years for males and <65 years for females): SIR for CHD = 1.93 (95% CI: 1.90-1.96), SIR for ischemic stroke = 1.45 (1.39-1.50), SIR for PAD = 2.76 (2.54-3.00), and SIR for AD = 6.36 (5.28-7.59). Premature parent-offspring transmission followed the same pattern. The disease risk was modestly increased in spouses, highest for AD (SIR = 1.48 (1.28-1.69)) and PAD (SIR = 1.27 (1.21-1.32)).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The four main manifestations of CVD share familial susceptibility, but unique site-specific familial factors may exist.
authors: Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University/Region Skåne, Malmö, Sweden.
authors: Susanna
authors: S
authors: Calling
authors: Jianguang
authors: J
authors: Ji
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Sundquist
authors: Kristina
authors: K
authors: Sundquist
authors: Bengt
authors: B
authors: Zöller
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: AD; Aortic disease; CAD; CHD; CI; CVD; Coronary heart disease; GWAS; Genetics; ICD; Ischemic stroke; PAD; Peripheral artery disease; SIR; aortic disease; cardiovascular disease; confidence interval; coronary artery disease; coronary heart disease; genome-wide association study; international classification of diseases; peripheral artery disease; standardized incidence ratios