The present invention provides methods of identifying a subject having an increased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, comprising: a) correlating the presence of one or more genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31 with an increased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease; and b) detecting the one or more genetic markers of step (a) in the subject, thereby identifying the subject as having an increased or decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Also provided are methods of identifying subjects with cardiovascular disease as having a good or poor prognosis, as well as methods of identifying effective treatment regimens for cardiovascular disease, based on correlation with genetic markers in chromosome 3q13.31.