Epigenetic mechanisms in cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of one-third of all deaths worldwide and accounting for an important burden of healthcare expenditure. CVD remains the number one cause of death and disability worldwide despite significant improvements in diagnosis, prevention, and early intervention efforts. Current scientific knowledge does not completely explain the complex pathophysiology underlying CVD, and therefore, a search for other pathways is constantly being conducted. Epigenetic regulation refers to changes in gene expression and ensuing phenotypes that occur independent of alterations in the DNA sequence per se, encompassing different levels of epigenetic modulation, including DNA methylation, posttranslational histone modifications, and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Epigenetic mechanisms have been shown to be associated with diverse human diseases such as cancer, CVD, autoimmune diseases, and Alzheimer disease. This chapter will thus focus on the role of epigenetics mechanisms in the area of cardiovascular risk.