The possible role of the K469E polymorphism in the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) gene in the susceptibility to ischaemic heart disease (IHD) was investigated in a well-defined Irish population using two recently described family-based tests of association. One thousand and twelve individuals from 386 families with at least one member prematurely affected with IHD were genotyped for the ICAM-1 K469E polymorphism. Using the combined transmission disequilibrium test (TDT)/sib-TDT and the pedigree disequilibrium test (PDT), no association between the ICAM-1 K469E polymorphism and IHD was found. Our data demonstrate that, in an Irish population, the ICAM-1 K469E polymorphism is not associated with IHD.