Objective: A polymorphism at position 460(G <-- W) of the alpha-adducin gene was found to be associated with essential hypertension in some but not all studies. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the association of the alpha-adducin 460W allele with essential hypertension in Chinese population.
Methods: Individuals from a population-based sample (n = 748) and 95 nuclear families and 47 discordant sibships were studied by questionnaire as well as by physical examination and biochemical analyses. The alpha-adducin gene G460W polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme digestion. Chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, logistic regression, linear regression, haplotype-based haplotype relative risk and transmission/disequilibrium test analyses were used to determine the association between the alpha-adducin G460W polymorphism and essential hypertension.
Results: In the case-control study, the prevalence of hypertension was higher in individuals with the WW genotype (40.0%) as compared with those with the GW and GG genotype (31.7%) (chi2 = 4.768, P = 0.029, odds ratio = 1.43). Adjusted for the conventional risk factors of hypertension, alpha-adducin polymorphism still plays an independent role on systolic blood pressure. We confirmed the results of our case-control study by observing a significant preferential transmission of the 460W allele of the alpha-adducin to the affected subjects in another northern Chinese population (for haplotype-based haplotype relative risk, chi2 = 6.24, P = 0.01; and for the transmission/disequilibrium test, chi2 = 4.69, P = 0.03).
Conclusions: The present findings show a positive association between the alpha-adducin G460W polymorphism and essential hypertension in a northern Chinese population. This evidence indicates that the alpha-adducin gene may be a susceptible gene to essential hypertension.