Genetic testing for coronary heart disease: the approaching frontier.

The prospect for genetic testing to better delineate the risk for coronary heart disease will become a reality in the next decade. Advances in this area will follow the accelerated trajectory in our ability to dissect the genetics of complex diseases including coronary heart disease. A brief overview of the present state of knowledge will follow the discussion of present approaches in discovering these genetic predispositions. The key issues that will likely shape the field in the near future will also be presented.