Understanding the Genes of a Childhood Disease
December 7th, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
(Ivanhoe Newswire) â The answers are all in the genes â thatâs the theory behind new research on Kawasaki disease. Study authors say by studying the genes of the patient, they could have a better prediction of disease development and therapy choices.
Kawasaki disease is a childrenâs illness and is one of the leading causes of acquired heart disease in children. Doctors do not know what causes Kawasaki disease, but researchers from Stanford University and the University of California at San Diego studied the gene-expression profiles of patients to get a better understanding of the disease.
For the study, blood from 77 children with Kawasaki disease was analyzed. Researchers say the gene patterns during the acute phase of the disease varied dramatically with day of illness. They also found higher levels of certain gene transcripts indicated patients were less likely to respond to immunoglobulin treatment. They say their findings support the idea that gene-expression profiles could be used for other systemic inflammatory illnesses. They hope the research will help better understand the disease as well as help doctors identify the best therapy for each patient based on their genes.
SOURCE: Published online in Genome Biology, Dec. 5, 2007