ABO gene polymorphisms are associated with acute coronary syndrome and with plasma concentration of HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides

The role of ABO gene polymorphisms in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and lipid metabolism is increasingly recognized. We investigated whether ABO gene polymorphisms are significantly associated with ACS and the plasma lipid profile. Six ABO gene polymorphisms (rs651007 T/C, rs579459 T/C, rs495928 T/C, rs8176746 T/G, rs8176740 A/T, and rs512770 T/C) were determined by 5’exonuclease TaqMan assays in 611 patients with ACS and 676 healthy controls. The results demonstrated that the rs8176746 T allele was associated with a lower risk of ACS under the co-dominant, dominant, recessive, over-dominant, and additive models (P ═ 0.0004, P ═ 0.0002, P ═ 0.039, P ═ 0.0009, and P ═ 0.0001, respectively). Furthermore, under co-dominant, dominant, and additive models, the rs8176740 A allele was associated with a lower risk of ACS (P ═ 0.041, P ═ 0.022, and P ═ 0.039, respectively). On the other hand, the rs579459 C allele was associated with a lower risk of ACS under the dominant, over-dominant, and additive models (P ═ 0.025, P ═ 0.035, and P ═ 0.037, respectively). In a subanalysis performed with the control group, rs8176746 T and rs8176740 A alleles were associated with low systolic blood pressure and with both high high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and low triglyceride plasma concentrations, respectively. In conclusion, ABO gene polymorphisms were associated with a lower risk of ACS, and lower systolic blood pressure and plasma lipid levels, suggesting a causal relationship between ABO blood groups and the incidence of ACS.