Stroked by genes
Why do some people suffering from hypertension get strokes while others do not? Researchers, for the first time, have obtained direct evidence of the existence of genes connected to strokes. Scientists at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, US, have identified the approximate location of three stroke-related genes in a particular strain of hypertensive rats that provide a strong model for the human stroke. They found that a gene located on chromosome 1 of the rats predisposed the animals to stroke, while two genes located on chromosomes 4 and 5 offered a modest protective effect against strokes.