Genetic studies of human longevity and risk factor for age-related diseases
conference paper
The etiology of major human age-related diseases such as osteoporosis, dementia, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular d¡seases and osteoarlhritis involves the influence of a significant genetic component. Family studies to idenlify the genes involved are difficult since cases are clustered in families rather than occurring in a clear pattern of inheritance and usually only one generation can be both diagnosed and sampled. Other ways to study whether a given candidate gene (or genome region) has susceptibility alleles increasing the risk for disease, is by population studies. This can be done by comparing the frequencies of haplotypes and alleles of polymorphisms in candidate gene regions ¡n patient and control populations. lf such studies include random populattons .of elderly individuals, these frequencies can be studied in relation to longevity. ln this way also alleles lowering the risk of disease can be identified. Studies in the Dutch population will be discussed that have been initiated to identify risk factors (phenotypic and genotypic) for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and osteoarthritis. These stud¡es include twin populations, random young and 55+ populations and populations of elderly individuals (85+). Especially the combination of studies in ditferently aged populations may prov¡de insight into the relalion of disease risk increasing and decreasing alleles and survival.
abstract
TNO Identifier
286863
Publisher
Netherlands Institute of Gerontology (NIG)
Article nr.
Abstr. no. 002.0005
Source title
Ageing in a changing Europe, 3rd European congress of gerontology
Editor(s)
Knook, D.L.
Dittman-Kohli, F.
Duursma, S.A.
Huijbers, P.W.J.M.
Knipscheer, C.P.M.
Ribbe, M.W.
Rutten, F.R.
Santvoort, M.M. van
Dittman-Kohli, F.
Duursma, S.A.
Huijbers, P.W.J.M.
Knipscheer, C.P.M.
Ribbe, M.W.
Rutten, F.R.
Santvoort, M.M. van
Place of publication
Utrecht
Pages
1
Files
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