Cardiovascular Risk in the Old Order Amish

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is a heterogeneous disease caused by the interaction of multiple pathologies affecting various systems, genetic predisposition, and environmental factors. Recently, novel "non-classic" risk factors have been recognized to play, together with well-characterized risk factors, a role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease. The heterogeneity of causative factors makes identifying the genetic background along with the contribution of environmental influences on the development and progression of cardiovascular disease a major challenge. The Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a close founder population with a very traditional and uniform lifestyle and well-traceable genealogy, is a unique and valuable source of information with respect to the genetic contribution of risk factors that potentially lead to the development of cardiovascular disease. In this review, the major findings from studies of the Old Order Amish are described along with the relevance of these findings to larger population groups. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC (outside the USA).