We investigated whether SNPs in the purinergic receptor (P2X<sub>7</sub>R) and apolipoprotein (APO) E genes, both involved in a series of inflammatory responses, are associated to HF or cognitive impairment and are able to predict post-discharge mortality in the elderly.
Our results reveal a significant putative HCM causative gene, P2X7, for the first time and show that germ-line mutations in P2X7 may cause a defective phenotype, suggesting purinergic receptor involvement in heart failure mediated through arrhythmias which need further investigations to be targeted for therapeutic interventions.