Epigenetics represents a phenomenon of altered heritable phenotypic expression 
of genetic information occurring without changes in DNA sequence. Epigenetic 
modifications control embryonic development, differentiation and stem cell 
(re)programming. These modifications can be affected by exogenous stimuli (e.g., 
diabetic milieu, smoking) and oftentimes culminate in disease initiation. DNA 
methylation has been studied extensively and represents a well-understood 
epigenetic mechanism. During this process cytosine residues preceding a 
guanosine in the DNA sequence are methylated. CpG-islands are short-interspersed 
DNA sequences with clusters of CG sequences. The abnormal methylation of CpG 
islands in the promoter region of genes leads to a silencing of genetic 
information and finally to alteration of biological function. Emerging data 
suggest that these epigenetic modifications also impact on the development of 
cardiovascular disease. Histone modifications lead to the modulation of the 
expression of genetic information through modification of DNA accessibility. In 
addition, RNA-based mechanisms (e.g., microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs) 
influence the development of disease. We here outline the recent work pertaining 
to epigenetic changes in a cardiovascular disease setting.