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. 2021 Jun 8;18(12):6215.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18126215.

Genetic Variation and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Cohort Study on Migrants from the Former Soviet Union and a Native German Population

Marianne Huebner  1   2 , Daniela Börnigen  3 , Andreas Deckert  4 , Rolf Holle  5 , Christa Meisinger  6 , Martina Müller-Nurasyid  7 , Annette Peters  6 , Wolfgang Rathmann  8   9 , Heiko Becher  1
Affiliations

Genetic Variation and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Cohort Study on Migrants from the Former Soviet Union and a Native German Population

Marianne Huebner et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Resettlers are a large migrant group of more than 2 million people in Germany who migrated mainly from the former Soviet Union to Germany after 1989. We sought to compare the distribution of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to investigate the overall genetic differences in a study population which consisted of resettlers and native (autochthone) Germans. This was a joint analysis of two cohort studies which were performed in the region of Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, with 3363 native Germans and 363 resettlers. Data from questionnaires and physical examinations were used to compare the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases between the resettlers and native Germans. A population-based genome-wide association analysis was performed in order to identify the genetic differences between the two groups. The distribution of the major risk factors for CVD differed between the two groups. The resettlers lead a less active lifestyle. While female resettlers smoked less than their German counterparts, the men showed similar smoking behavior. SNPs from three genes (BTNL2, DGKB, TGFBR3) indicated a difference in the two populations. In other studies, these genes have been shown to be associated with CVD, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, respectively.

Keywords: GWAS; Germany; cardiovascular diseases; genetic differences; lifestyle; migrants; resettlers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors R.H., C.M., M.M.-N., A.P. have an affiliation with the Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
STROBE flow chart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Principle component analysis (PCA) of the combined KORA and AMOR single nucleotide polymorphisms, with an indication of resettler status.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Manhattan plot for the genome-wide analysis of resettler status.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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