C-reactive protein gene polymorphisms and gene-environment interactions in ischaemic stroke.

Ischaemic stroke is a heterogeneous, multifactorial disease caused by the combination of certain risk factors and genetic factors. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of C-reactive protein (CRP) have been reported to be associated with serum CRP levels. However, genetic association studies have produced conflicting results regarding the association between these SNPs and ischaemic stroke. In this paper, we conducted a population-based case-control study to determine whether two SNPs of CRP (rs1800947 and rs3093059) are associated with ischaemic stroke in Chinese Han population and to evaluate their interaction with environmental risk factors. We found that the rs1800947 GC genotype is significantly associated with the risk of ischaemic stroke, particularly the small-vessel disease and its subtype. Crossover analysis revealed that patients with the rs1800947 GC genotype and habits of smoking or drinking were more susceptible to ischaemic stroke. No association was found between the rs3093059 and ischaemic stroke.