Genetics of ischemic stroke: Indian perspective.

A stroke is still a major cause of long-term disability and the third largest killer in the world after heart attack and cancer. Inherited genetic variation has been shown to play a role in its pathogenesis and therefore, there is a need to identify the culprit genetic variants. They may provide novel targets for preventive therapeutics. The most intensively investigated candidate gene is PDE4D. There are several positive replication studies of PDE4D gene with stroke. The genetic contribution to ischemic stroke risk in India has not been explored adequately. Reports on few candidate genes are available but we are still lagging behind in this aspect. Most of the reports are from Andhra Pradesh, a province in south India and a few parts of north India. PDE4D has been identified as a predisposition gene for ischemic stroke in Southern as well as the Northern population of India.