A new study involving the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) shows: Men who lose their Y chromosome in part of their blood cells have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease – especially of a fatal heart attack.
With increasing age, men experience a so-called mosaic-like loss of the Y chromosome (LOY). The Y chromosome is not lost in all, but only in some of the white blood cells in particular – comparable to a mosaic of different cell types. Men over 60 are particularly affected. As blood cells are regularly renewed – white blood cells, for example, every few days to weeks – this loss can increase over time. This acquired genetic change goes unnoticed for a long time, but can affect cell function and increase the risk of certain diseases.
Higher risk of fatal heart attacks
A research team led by Professor Andreas Zeiher from Goethe University and University Medicine Frankfurt investigated this connection in more detail. The scientists analyzed blood samples from almost 1,700 men who had taken part in the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health (LURIC) study. This long-term study includes patient data from men who underwent cardiac catheterization between 1997 and 2000. The results are alarming: Men with a pronounced Y chromosome loss not only had an overall higher risk of cardiovascular disease, but also a 50 percent higher probability of dying as a result of a heart attack.
The researchers discovered that blood cells without a Y chromosome release more messenger substances that promote inflammation and scarring in the heart tissue. Laboratory experiments have shown that this process alters the function of certain immune cells – with possible negative consequences for the heart.
New opportunities for targeted prevention
“Our results show that chromosomal changes that occur with age may play a greater role in heart health than we previously thought,” Zeiher says. “In the long term, measuring Y chromosome loss could help to identify men with a particularly high risk at an early stage and treat them in a targeted manner.”
These findings open up new possibilities for individually tailored prevention and treatment. In future, a simple blood test could help to identify high-risk patients at an early stage and provide targeted protection against cardiovascular disease.
Publication: Michael Weyrich, Stephen Zewinger, Tamim Sarakpi, Tina Rasper, Marcus E Kleber, Sebastian Cremer, Lukas Zanders, Fenja Fleck, Agneta Siegbahn, Lars Wallentin, Wesley Tyler Abplanalp, Linda Nerbas, Sandra Fay, Aaron L Eberle, Stefanie Dimmeler, Winfried März, Thimoteus Speer, Andreas M Zeiher. Mosaic loss of Y chromosome and mortality after coronary angiography. Eur. Heart J. (2025) https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf035
Quelle: Presseinformation des Deutschen Zentrums für Herz- und Kreislauferkrankungen
