Genes and Common Diseases

Filed in archive General Health on June 11, 2007

Since the mapping of the human genome in 2003, new discoveries continue to come to light. According to CBC News, seven common diseases may be linked to specific genes:

• Coronary heart disease.
  


• Type 1 diabetes.
  


• Type 2 diabetes.
  


• Rheumatoid arthritis.
  


• Hypertension.
  


• Crohn's disease.
  


• Bipolar disorder. .

And the research continues.
Egghead reports:

Michael Seldin and colleagues at the UC Davis School of Medicine have been awarded a grant by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to look at the role of ancestry in women's health, especially heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer and bone fractures due to osteoporosis. The study will draw on samples taken from 160,000 women enrolled in the NIH's (National Institute of Health) 15-year Women's Health Initiative study.