Five genes added to the list of many already known to affect risk of coronary artery disease, study says.

Researchers have identified five new genes that play a role in people’s risk for heart attack and coronary artery disease—the most common cause of premature death and disability in the world, according to a new study.

The international consortium said their discovery could help scientists predict coronary artery disease (CAD) and develop new treatments for the condition.

In conducting the study, published online Sept. 22 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, the researchers examined more than 49,000 genetic variants in nearly 15,600 cases of CAD along with slightly fewer than 35,000 controls, which included people of European descent and South Asian origin. The investigators also duplicated their findings in 17,121 more cases of the disease and 40,473 controls.

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