Twins, due to their unique genetic and environmental relationships,
have provided crucial insight in our understanding of
genetic contributions to numerous etiologically complex disorders
in developed countries. As the leading cause of death and adult
disability, cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases are common in
China, followed by cancer. Obesity and psychological disorders
are increasing. The overall goal of this program is to develop a
resource for genetic epidemiologic studies of these and other
common and complex diseases in China. Our initial focus is to
delineate the genetic and environmental determinants of vascular
diseases in general, coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke in
particular. To date, we have over 4500 twin pairs registered and
about 700 twin pairs studied for various metabolic traits (e.g.,
lipids, glucose, insulin, etc.). The long-term plan of this program is
to (1) establish a population-based twin registry from several
selected regions in China for future studies of specific common
complex diseases; (2) conduct detailed phenotyping for clinical
and intermediate traits related to cardiovascular diseases; (3)
expand studies of twins to twin families by including their
parents, siblings, and offspring for genetic linkage and association
studies; and (4) follow up twins in the registry longitudinally. The
goals of the program are health education and promotion of
healthy behavior, early identification of cases to provide timely
medical attention, and the evaluation of long-term effects of identified
risk factors. We want to develop collaborations with
investigators who have expertise in cancer, psychological disorders,
and other disease areas.