Lack of association of interleukin-1 gene cluster polymorphisms with angiographically documented coronary artery disease: demonstration of association with hypertension in the Polish population.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Inflammation plays a key role in the development of atherosclerosis. We investigated associations between the interleukin-1β gene (IL1B) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN ) polymorphisms and their haplotypes, with coronary artery disease (CAD), severity of CAD (single vessel, SVD vs. multivessel disease, MVD) and hypertension.

METHODS

Three hundred eighteen individuals were submitted to coronary angiography. Of these, 201 patients with ≥50% occlusion in at least one major coronary artery comprised the CAD group; the control group (non-CAD) consisted of the remaining 117 subjects. The genotypes of IL1B C(-31)T and IL1RN VNTR were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RESULTS

Allele (-31)C of the IL1B gene was significantly associated with hypertension (p = 0.046). There was no association of hypertension with IL1RN genotype. The association between the number of IL1B C alleles and prevalence of hypertension was similar in univariate (OR 1.383; 95% CI 1.002-1.909; p = 0.048) and multivariate (OR 1.429; 95% CI 1.021-1.999; p = 0.036) analysis. We did not observe a significant association between CAD and genotypes or alleles of IL1B C(-31)T/IL1RN VNTR or their haplotypes. No associations were found between IL1B C(-31)T or IL1RN VNTR genotypes, alleles or haplotypes and the severity of CAD when subgroups with SVD and MVD were compared.

CONCLUSIONS

No association was found between polymorphisms of IL1B C(-31)T/IL1RN VNTR or their haplotypes and CAD. However, the data suggest that allele (-31)C of IL1B may be a risk factor for hypertension in the Polish population with CAD in the western Pomeranian region of Poland.