Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential and Cardiovascular Disease

Age is the most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and appears to be more than a marker of cumulative exposure to other risk factors such as dyslipidemia and hypertension. With aging, genetic mutations occur that are not present in our germline DNA, observed as somatic mosaicism. Hematopoietic stem cells have an increased chance of developing mosaicism because they are highly proliferative, and mutations with survival benefits can establish clonal populations. Age-related clonal hematopoiesis resulting from somatic mutations was first described ∼25 years ago.
Source: Translational Research - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Review Article Source Type: research