Impact of a Genetic Risk Score for Coronary Artery Disease in Reducing Cardiovascular Risk: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study

Background: Adherence to primary prevention strategies that reduce coronary artery disease (CAD) risk is suboptimal. Hypothesis: Genetic data may serve as a motivator to reduce cardiovascular risk. We tested whether providing a genetic risk score of CAD would improve adherence to risk-reducing strategies. Methods: Ninety-four subjects with moderate CAD risk at a baseline visit were randomized to either receive their genetic risk score at a subsequent 3-month follow-up visit or to standard of care (clinicaltrials.gov NCT01406808). The treating physician delivered the genetic risk score to patients using a suggested script. Although the genetic risk score was used to update the 10-year CAD risk, primary prevention recommendations for all randomized patients were based on baseline CAD risk assessment without the genetic risk score. The primary outcome was change in LDL-cholesterol between the 3-month and 6-month follow-up visits (Δ LDL-C). Secondary outcomes included other CAD risk factors, weight loss and p...