Association of the -844G>A polymorphism in the catalase gene with the increased risk of essential hypertension in smokers

Abstract

Aim. To investigate whether the functionally relevant -844G>A promotor polymorphism in the catalase (CAT) gene is associated with the development of essential hypertension (EH). Subjects and methods. The investigation enrolled 2,339 unrelated ethnic Russian people, including 1,269 EH patients and 770 apparently healthy individuals. Genotyping of CAT -844G>A (rs769214) polymorphism was performed using a TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. Results. The -844A allele (odds ratio (OR)=1.31; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04 to 1.64; р=0.02) and the -844AA genotype (OR=1.41; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.94; р=0.03) were found to be related to a higher risk of EH in the smokers. No association was found between this polymorphism and EH risk in the non-smokers. Conclusion. Smoking is a predisposing factor for development of EH in CAT -844AA genotype carriers.

Keywords

• essential hypertension
• oxidative stress
• catalase
• genetic polymorphism
• gene-environment interactions