P-138: Gene polymorphisms and left ventricular hypertrophy in essential hypertension

• Published in: American journal of hypertension 2001-04, Vol.14 (S1), p.76A-76A
• Main Authors: Mettimano, Marco, Ianni, Andrea, Migneco, Alessio, Specchia, Maria Lucia, Romano-Spica, Vincenzo, Savi, Luigi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: genetic epidemiology; left ventricular hypertrophy; renin-angiotensin system
• ISSN: 0895-7061; 1941-7225; 1879-1905
• DOI: 10.1016/S0895-7061(01)01747-2

Hypertensive heart disease results from a complex interaction between haemodynamic factors, neuro-hormonal influences and genetic determinants. In the present study we investigated the association between polymorphic forms at genes of the renin-angiotensin system and the development of left ventricular hypertrophy in a case-control study. The frequency of molecular variants was compared between a group of essential hypertensive patients (stage I-II; n=70) with ventricular involvement and a group of Caucasian healthy control subjects (n=300). After performing a careful clinical and laboratory evaluation, all the enrolled patients (mean age: 49±6 yrs) underwent a 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in order to obtain a complete blood pressure profile. Left ventricular mass and main parameters of ventricular function were assessed by M-mode/2D/doppler echocardiogram. Subjects were genotyped for M235T polymorphism at the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene, A1166C mutation in the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) gene and I/D polymorphism at the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene. A statistically significant association was found between allelic variants at AGT, AT1R and ACE loci and essential hypertension (p