Clinical OMICs - Issue 7 - (Page 13)

Photo © kmiragaya-Fotolia.com Determination of an individual's risk for severe arrhythmias before a life-threatening event occurs remains a significant medical challenge. last year that it now offers clinicians linked to long-QT syndrome, a rare genetic testing through the school's inherited arrhythmia that lengthens Genomics and the time between Pathology Services heartbeats, potenFor patients whose signs and (GPS) to aid in diagtially causing heart symptoms may be consistent nosing and treatpalpitations or carwith a number of disease ing heart disorders diac arrest. These that could lead genes can identify processes, genome or exome to sudden death. sequencing may be quicker and particular subtypes The test, called of long QT, distinless expensive. the Washington guishing among University Cardioforms of it that Gene Set, analyzes genes linked to respond to different therapies to help arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies, guide treatment decisions. yielding a report based on patient Patients with hypertrophic cardioblood samples submitted by their myopathy (HCM), a thickening of the physicians. The cardiac testing panel heart muscle that can lead to sudden includes genes linked to eight car- cardiac arrest and other problems, diac disorders that are characterized also can benefit, according to the GPS, by arrhythmias or cardiomyopathies. from the CardioGene Set. HCM can Testing is traditionally offered one cause sudden fatal cardiac arrest in gene at a time, but the new test can young athletes who have not shown report on as many as 69 genes. any prior symptoms of heart probThe testing panel analyzes, for lems. Genetic diagnosis of this condiexample, the sequences of genes tion could lead physicians to advise a www.clinicalomics.com patient against physical overexertion, for example. Common Clinical Challenge The determination of the underlying etiology of symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease (CAD), which is defined as greater than or equal to 50% stenosis in a major coronary artery, presents a common clinical challenge in both primary care and cardiology clinics, according to physicians. Usual care, they say, in low to medium risk patients involves a family history, risk factor assessment, and then stress testing with or without noninvasive imaging. If positive, this is often followed by invasive coronary angiography. Despite extensive adoption of this usual care paradigm, more than 60% of patients referred for angiography do not have obstructive CAD. CardioDx, a Palo Alto-based molecular diagnostics company specializ(continued on next page) July 16, 2014 Clinical OMICs 13 http://www.Fotolia.com http://www.clinicalomics.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clinical OMICs - Issue 7

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Clinical OMICs - Issue 7