Genetic variations of two proteins involved in inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6, affect the risk of Stroke after heart surgery, according to a report in the medical journal Stroke.

“Genetic factors clearly play a role in (post-surgical) outcomes, such as stroke,” said Dr. Hilary P. Grocott from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. “Inflammatory pathways seem to be particularly important in stroke after cardiac surgery.”

Grocott and associates investigated the influence of 26 different gene variations on the risk of stroke following heart surgery in 1635 patients.

No single variant was associated with the risk of Stroke, the authors report, but having gene variations for both CRP and IL-6 more than tripled the risk of Stroke.

There was no association between stroke and gender or race, the investigators report.

It is too early to conduct testing for these variants in patients. “But theoretically, this could be done and could potentially add valuable information regarding risk assessment,” Grocott said. This “would allow physicians and their patients to make better informed decisions about their health care.”

Studies are currently underway to look for other gene-related factors that influence neurologic outcomes after heart surgery, Grocott noted.

SOURCE: Stroke, September 2005.