Why the study?
Is monozygotic twin status associated with a higher concordance rate for stroke compared to dizygotic twin status?
Is monozygotic twin status associated with a higher concordance rate for stroke compared to dizygotic twin status?
The nearly fivefold increase in stroke concordance among monozygotic compared to dizygotic twins suggests a significant genetic contribution to the etiology of stroke.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports genetic contribution to stroke etiology in twins; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change clinical practice.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although there are strong genetic contributions to coronary artery disease, only a few studies have considered heritable influences on stroke. METHODS: We investigated the role of genetic factors in stroke using the Twin Registry maintained by the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council. The registry includes 15,948 male twin pairs born between 1917 and 1927. In 1985, 9,475 twins responded to a mailed questionnaire, which covered vascular risk factors, cardiac events, and stroke. RESULTS: Analysis of twin pairs in which both responded to the questionnaire, and a question on stroke, indicated proband concordance rates of 17.7% for monozygotic pairs and 3.6% for dizygotic pairs (relative risk = 4.3; chi 2 = 4.94, df = 1; p less than 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This nearly fivefold increase in the prevalence of stroke among the monozygotic compared with the dizygotic twin pairs suggests that genetic factors are involved in the etiology of stroke. The twin study paradigm holds considerable promise for identifying both genetic and environmental influences on stroke.
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Brass et al. (1992) studied this question.
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