‘Triggered Fainting’ May Be an Inherited Trait

Human Y Chromosome Linked to Coronary Artery Disease Risk
Human Y Chromosome Linked to Coronary Artery Disease Risk
Some inherited cases of vasovagal syncope, or fainting caused by particular triggers, are linked to a particular region of chromosome 15q26.

(HealthDay News) – Some inherited cases of vasovagal syncope, or fainting caused by particular triggers, are linked to a particular region of chromosome 15q26, according to a study in the April 16 issue of Neurology.

Karl Martin Klein, MD, PhD, from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and colleagues identified six families with vasovagal syncope that was suggestive of autosomal dominant inheritance, performing genome-wide linkage in one family with 30 affected individuals over three generations with a median onset of 8–9 years.

The researchers found that chromosome 15q26 was significantly linked to the disorder (logarithm of odds score, 3.28). Linkage to chromosome 15q26 was excluded in two families, not excluded in two families, and was not examined in one family because only two affected individuals were available. No mutations were found in candidate genes SLCO3A1, ST8SIA2, and NR2F2.

“The chromosome 15q26 locus in family A increases the susceptibility to vasovagal syncope but does not predispose to a particular vasovagal trigger,” Klein and colleagues conclude. “Linkage analysis in the remaining families established likely genetic heterogeneity.”

Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical and device companies, and several authors have patents pending.

Abstract
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