The rs6817105 polymorphism on chromosome 4q25 is associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation in the Chinese Han population

OBJECTIVE: Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified rs6817105—a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on chromosome 4q25—to be associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) in a European-descent population. We recently demonstrated this association in a large cohort of Japanese ancestry. Our present study was designed to determine this association in the Chinese Han population. METHODS: This case–control study included 597 AF cases and 996 AF-free controls, and rs6817105 SNPs were genotyped using the TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated in logistic regression models. RESULTS: The genotype distribution of rs6817105-CC was significantly more frequent in the AF patients than in the controls (p=3.24´10(-32)). In our study, logistic regression analysis showed a strong association between rs6817105 and the risk of AF (additive model: OR=2.22, 95%CI=1.89–2.61, p=2.33´10(-22); dominant model: OR=2.96, 95% CI: 2.16–4.07, p=2.03´10(-11); recessive model: OR=2.83, 95%CI=2.27–3.54, p=4.00´10(-20)). Stratification analyses showed a borderline statistical difference between subgroups of age for the association of rs6817105 with AF risk (p=0.049). However, further interactive analysis indicated no significant interaction between genotype of rs6817105 and age (p=0.178). CONCLUSION: Our finding suggested that SNP rs6817105 may be associated with a high significant risk of AF in the Chinese Han population, although more replicative studies of larger sample size are needed to confirm this finding.