Incidence of Stroke: Environmental Factors vs. Genetic Factors

Abstract

Although stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of long-term disability, the cause of stroke is largely viewed as environmentally impacted and modifiable unlike the top two leading causes of death, heart disease and cancer. In order to understand the complexity of stroke and the impact it has on patients and their family members when environmental factors do not provide a full explanation, this thesis seeks to explore the potential genetic factors that contribute to the incidence of stroke. Single-gene disorders, polygenic/genome-wide disorders, and epigenetic influences to the presentation of stroke will be explored and an assessment on how stroke genetics could be applied in clinical practice will be discussed.