Jun Cheng1, Fang Tao1, Yanhong Liu1, Scott A Venners2, Yi-Hsiang Hsu3, Shanqun Jiang1, Justin Weinstock4, Binyan Wang5, Genfu Tang5, Xiping Xu5. 1. a School of Life Sciences , Anhui University , Hefei , China. 2. b Faculty of Health Sciences , Simon Fraser University , Burnaby , BC , Canada. 3. c Harvard Medical School , Boston , United States. 4. d Department of Statistics , University of Virginia , Charlottesville , VA , USA. 5. e Institute of Biomedicine , Anhui Medical University , Hefei , China.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To confirm the association between baseline blood pressure (BP) levels and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T gene polymorphism in patients with essential hypertension. METHODS: A total of 347 patients were enrolled from the Dongzhi community in Anhui Province, China. The C677T polymorphism of the MTHFR gene was detected using high-throughput TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. Baseline BP was measured using a standardized mercury-gravity monometer. RESULTS: In the whole sample, the frequency of the MTHFR C677T genotypes CC, CT, and TT were 38.6%, 48.1%, and 13.3%, respectively. In a recessive model (CC+CT versus TT genotypes), baseline diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was significantly higher in patients with the TT genotype compared to those with the CT or CC genotypes (P= 0.013). We also divided all patients into three groups based on the tertiles of the baseline BP distribution. Compared to subjects in the lowest tertile of DBP, the adjusted odds of having the TT genotype among subjects in the highest tertile was 2.6 (95% CI: 1.1 to 6.2). However, no significant associations were observed between baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the MTHFR C677T polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS: The MTHFR gene polymorphism could be an important genetic determinant of baseline DBP levels in Chinese essential hypertensive patients.
OBJECTIVE: To confirm the association between baseline blood pressure (BP) levels and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T gene polymorphism in patients with essential hypertension. METHODS: A total of 347 patients were enrolled from the Dongzhi community in Anhui Province, China. The C677T polymorphism of the MTHFR gene was detected using high-throughput TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. Baseline BP was measured using a standardized mercury-gravity monometer. RESULTS: In the whole sample, the frequency of the MTHFRC677T genotypes CC, CT, and TT were 38.6%, 48.1%, and 13.3%, respectively. In a recessive model (CC+CT versus TT genotypes), baseline diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was significantly higher in patients with the TT genotype compared to those with the CT or CC genotypes (P= 0.013). We also divided all patients into three groups based on the tertiles of the baseline BP distribution. Compared to subjects in the lowest tertile of DBP, the adjusted odds of having the TT genotype among subjects in the highest tertile was 2.6 (95% CI: 1.1 to 6.2). However, no significant associations were observed between baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the MTHFRC677T polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS: The MTHFR gene polymorphism could be an important genetic determinant of baseline DBP levels in Chinese essential hypertensivepatients.