According to the study, over 1,319 genetic variants have been identified to be associated with increased risk for 160 diseases. The genome-wide association studies (GWAS) found 33 genetic variants for CAD. Of the 33 variants, the increased risk varies from 6 percent to 92 percent with a mean increased risk of 18 percent occurring on average in 47 percent of the population.  In the CARDIoGRAM study of 23 variants, the average per individual was 17, the minimum 7, and the maximum 37. The top 10^th percentile has an odds ratio of 1.88 and the lowest percentile an odds ratio of 0.55.

In addition, eight of the variants mediate their risk through lipids and another two through hypertension, with 23 loci acting independently of known risk factors. Further, most genetic risk variants exhibit higher risk in individuals with early onset than for those with late onset CAD, and most are located in DNA sequences that do not code for protein, note Robert Roberts, MD, MACC, and Alexandre F. R. Stewart, PhD, of the John & Jennifer Ruddy Canadian Cardiovascular Genetics Centre, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and authors of the study.