Positive correlation between variants of lipid metabolism-related genes and coronary heart disease

Four gene variants related to lipid metabolism (including the rs562338 and rs503662 variants of the APOB gene, the rs7767084 variant of the LPA gene and the rs2246942 variant of the LIPA gene) have been shown to be associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). The aim of the present study was to assess their association with CHD in the Han Chinese population and to assess the contribution of these gene variants to CHD. Using the standardized coronary angiography method, we enrolled 290 CHD patients and 193 non-CHD patients as non-CHD controls from Lihuili Hospital (Ningbo, China). In addition, we recruited 330 unrelated healthy volunteers as healthy controls from the Xi Men Community (Ningbo, China). Our results demonstrated that the rs503662 and rs562338 variants of the APOB gene were extremely rare in the Han Chinese population (minor allele frequency <1%). Genotype rs2246942-GG of the LIPA gene was associated with an increased risk of CHD [CHD cases versus healthy controls: P=0.04; odds ratio (OR)=1.63; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.02-2.60). Genotype rs7767084-CC of the LPA gene was identified as a protective factor against CHD in females (CHD cases versus non-CHD controls: P=0.04, OR=0.21; CHD cases versus healthy controls: P=0.02, OR=0.21). The results of our meta-analysis indicated that rs7767084 was not associated with a high risk of CHD (P=0.83; combined OR=0.93; 95% CI=0.47-1.85). In the present study, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes involved in lipid metabolism (rs2246942 and rs7767084) were identified to be significantly associated with CHD in the Han Chinese population. Specifically, rs2246942-GG of the LIPA gene was a risk factor for CHD, while rs7767084-CC of the LPA gene was a protective factor against CHD in females. However, our meta-analysis indicated that rs7767084 is not associated with a higher risk of CHD.