An international team led by a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientist has created a first-of-its-kind resource to identify those with a genetic risk for elevated ‘bad’ cholesterol -- a major contributor to heart disease.

Published today in Science , this resource can assist clinicians in predicting patient risk for heart attacks and strokes , allowing time for prevention and early treatment.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming nearly 700,000 lives each year. While diet and exercise play a role, the risk of heart disease is largely dictated by genetic predisposition to the accumulation of waxy plaque inside the arteries that supply blood to the heart. This predisposition arises from minor variations in the gene that enc

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