Abstract
Background/Aim: Both arsenic and the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system may play a role in kidney damages, and therefore, we conducted a study in Taiwan to evaluate whether arsenic exposure in drinking water and angiotensinogen (AGT) genetic polymorphisms are associated with the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: We conducted a case-control study and recruited 228 patients of CKD and 125 controls without CKD were from the National Cheng Kung University Hospital. All the participants were interviewed using a standard questionnaire to collect data on demographics, lifestyle factors such as cigarette smoking, alcohol, drinking water history, and other relevant risk factors for CKD. Polymorphisms of AGT (A[−20]C) and (Thr174Met) were examined by polymerase chain reaction-restricted fragment length polymorphism. The arsenic level in drinking water of each participant was assessed on the basis of the measurement in 311 townships obtained by a nationwide survey. Results: The frequency of AGT(A[-20]C) A/A genotype in case and control groups was 71.9% and 77.7%, and that of A/C genotype was 28.1% and 22.3%, respectively. In the case and control groups, the frequencies of AGT(Thr174Met) Thr/Thr genotype (78.5% vs. 81.3%), Thr/Met genotype (20.5% vs. 18.8%), and Met/Met genotype (0.0% vs. 1.0%) were similar. However, the distributions of arsenic levels were different between the two groups; while 52.7% of the cases were from townships with high arsenic level, only 35.2% of the controls were from those townships. Conclusions: While AGT(A[-20]C) A/C genotype was more prevalent in patients with CKD, the distribution of AGT(Thr174Met) genotypes has no association with CKD. Arsenic levels in drinking water was also associated with CKD.
Published Version
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