Association between eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism and hypertension: a meta-analysis involving 14,185 cases and 13,407 controls

BACKGROUND: Essential hypertension is a complex disease determined by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors, eNOS is considered to be one of the susceptible genes for hypertension. Our study aimed to evaluate the association between eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism and hypertension, and to provide evidence for the etiology of hypertension. METHODS: Case–control studies of eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism and hypertension were included by searching PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, WanFang datebase, Vip datebase, and CNKI database according to PRISMA guideline. Eligible data were extracted and pooled, and were analyzed using R software based on five different genetic models. RESULTS: A total of 60 eligible articles involving 14,185 cases and 13,407 controls were finally selected. We found significant association between eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism and hypertension under any genetic model (T vs G: OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.26–1.63; GT vs GG: OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.18–1.52; TT vs GG: OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.41–2.31; GT + TT vs GG: OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.25–1.63; TT vs GG + GT: OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.35–2.08; GT vs GG + TT: OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.11–1.40). CONCLUSIONS: We found that eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism is associated with the increased risk of hypertension under any genetic model. Moreover, investigations of gene–gene and gene-environment interactions are needed to give more insight into the association between eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism and hypertension. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12872-021-02192-2.