Association of gene polymorphisms with coronary artery disease in low- or high-risk subjects defined by conventional risk factors

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify genes that confer susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) in low- or high-risk men or women separately and thereby to assess the genetic risk of CAD in such individuals.

Background: The prevention of CAD would be facilitated by the identification of genes that confer susceptibility to this condition independently in low- or high-risk individuals, as defined by conventional risk factors.

Methods: The study population comprised 1661 unrelated Japanese individuals, including 1011 patients with CAD and 650 control subjects. Among all study subjects, 601 individuals (high-risk subjects) had hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia, and 1060 individuals (low-risk subjects) had none of these risk factors for CAD. The genotypes for 37 polymorphisms of 31 candidate genes were determined by a fluorescence- or colorimetry-based allele-specific DNA primer-probe assay system.

Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis, with adjustment for age, body mass index, and the prevalence of smoking and hyperuricemia, revealed that the -219G-->T polymorphism of the apolipoprotein E gene in low-risk men, the -1171/5A-->6A polymorphism of the stromelysin-1 gene in low-risk women, the 1019C-->T polymorphism of the connexin 37 gene in high-risk men, and the 3932T-->C polymorphism of the apolipoprotein E gene in high-risk women were significantly associated with CAD. A stepwise forward selection procedure revealed that the effects of these polymorphisms on CAD were statistically independent of age or conventional risk factors.

Conclusions: Genotyping of these polymorphisms may prove informative for assessment of the genetic risk of CAD in low- or high-risk men or women.