Fibrinogen Beta-Chain -C148T Polymorphism is Associated with Increased Fibrinogen, C-Reactive Protein, and Interleukin-6 in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

The fibrinogen beta-chain (FGB) -C148T polymorphism is linked with plasma fibrinogen concentration in the general population. We examined whether the -C148T polymorphism is associated with pre- and early postoperative levels of fibrinogen, C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in 243 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Plasma inflammatory markers were measured prior to and 5–7 days after surgery. The -C148T polymorphism was analyzed with the restriction fragment-length polymorphism method. The genotype distribution was as follows: CC—142 (58%), CT—85 (35%), and TT—16 (7%). Carriers of the -148T allele had higher preoperative plasma fibrinogen (4.42 ± 0.14 vs. 4.07 ± 0.11 mg/L, p = 0.04) and CRP levels (7.49 ± 1.2 vs. 4.26 ± 1.0 mg/L, p = 0.04) compared with non-carriers; 5 to 7 days after CABG, patients carrying -148T allele had increased CRP (70.4 ± 5.0 vs. 51.6 ± 4.25 mg/L, p = 0.005) and IL-6 levels (22.34 ± 2.64 vs. 15.53 ± 2.28 pg/L, p = 0.05), but not fibrinogen, compared with the remaining subjects. In-hospital nonfatal stroke occurred more frequently in -148T allele carriers (4% vs. 0%, p = 0.02). No genotype-associated differences were found in the occurrence of postoperative myocardial infarction and death. Presence of the -148T allele has also been associated with longer intensive care stay and intubation time (p = 0.01). Multivariate analysis identified the CT+TT genotype as an independent predictor of pre- and postoperative CRP levels. The results indicate that the presence of the -148T FGB allele determines higher pre- and postoperative levels of inflammatory markers, which might be associated with in-hospital clinical outcomes.