Genetic Determinants of Risk, Severity, and Outcome in Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Spontaneous, nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most severe manifestation of common forms of cerebral small vessel disease. Although ICH represents only 15% of all strokes, it accounts for a large proportion of stroke-related costs and mortality. Preventive and acute treatments remain limited. Because genetic variation contributes substantially to ICH, genomic analyses constitute a powerful tool to identify new biological mechanisms involved in its occurrence. Through translational research efforts, these newly identified mechanisms can become targets for innovative therapeutic interventions. Here, the authors summarize the most recent genetic discoveries for ICH. They also introduce the Platform for Accelerating Genetic Discovery for Cerebrovascular Disease, a newly created resource that aims to create a common workspace for genetic analyses that will bring together 100,000 stroke cases and suitable controls from numerous institutions in several countries.