Apolipoprotein A5 gene variants and the risk of coronary heart disease: A case-control study and meta-analysis

Previous studies have shown that apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene variants are genetic determinants of the concentration of triglycerides, which are a known risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Using the standardized coronary angiography method, 290 CHD patients and 198 non-CHD controls were recruited from Ningbo Lihuili Hospital. In addition, 331 unrelated healthy volunteers were recruited as healthy controls from Ningbo Ximen Community residents. Three variants of the APOA5 gene, S19W, -1131T>C and 553G>T, were analyzed for their association with CHD. Under a dominant inheritance model, -1131CT>C was shown to be a CHD risk factor (P=0.030; OR, 1.422; 95% CI, 1.036–1.952). The single nucleotide polymorphism, 553G>T, was found to correlate with the severity of CHD in males (P=0.032). Meta-analysis showed that -1131T>C was significantly associated with CHD (P<0.0001). By contrast, negative correlations with CHD were observed for S19W and 553G>T. In the present case-control study, APOA5 gene variants were not found to correlate with the risk of CHD in the populations studied; however, -1131CT>C was shown to be a CHD risk factor under a dominant inheritance model. Meta-analysis showed a significant contribution of -1131T>C to the risk of CHD, implying an ethnic difference in APOA5 gene variants.