The study involved about 20,000 patients, 1544 of whom developed a stroke and was done by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

 

The researchers used powerful new sequencing and analysis techniques developed since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 looking for variations in the genetics of patients who have had strokes compared with those who had not.

 

They found two genetic variants and each copy increased the risk of stroke by 30 percent. About 20 percent of whites and 10 percent of blacks have at least one of the genetic variants in their genome, according to the study.

 

“Identification of genes predisposing to stroke may aid in the identification of persons at increased risk of stroke in whom particularly vigorous attention to preventive measures can be applied,” Dr. Philip Wolf, a Boston University neurologist who was one of the study’s lead authors said.

 

The study is very important keeping in mind that stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Over 143,579 people die each year from stroke in the United States. Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability. About 795,000 strokes occur in the United States each year. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes. About 185,000 occur in people who have already had a stroke before.