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

Abstract

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.