Genetic Variation and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Cohort Study on Migrants from the Former Soviet Union and a Native German Population.

Marianne Huebner,Annette Peters,Martina Müller-Nurasyid,Heiko Becher,Christa Meisinger,Daniela Börnigen,Wolfgang Rathmann,Rolf Holle,Andreas Deckert

doi:10.3390/ijerph18126215

Abstract

Resettlers are a large migrant group of more than 2 million people in Germany who migrated mainly from the former Soviet Union to Germany after 1989. We sought to compare the distribution of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to investigate the overall genetic differences in a study population which consisted of resettlers and native (autochthone) Germans. This was a joint analysis of two cohort studies which were performed in the region of Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, with 3363 native Germans and 363 resettlers. Data from questionnaires and physical examinations were used to compare the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases between the resettlers and native Germans. A population-based genome-wide association analysis was performed in order to identify the genetic differences between the two groups. The distribution of the major risk factors for CVD differed between the two groups. The resettlers lead a less active lifestyle. While female resettlers smoked less than their German counterparts, the men showed similar smoking behavior. SNPs from three genes (BTNL2, DGKB, TGFBR3) indicated a difference in the two populations. In other studies, these genes have been shown to be associated with CVD, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, respectively.

Highlights

An additional SNP rs11579207 from TGFBR3 was associated with resettler status. This is the first study in which resettlers were investigated regarding a general genetic difference to the native German populations and their genetic predisposition for cardiovascular diseases
The data cleaning processes are underway, and analyses will follow in the near future
The gene DGKB was shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the SNP rs6955426 is a novel locus on this gene and should be considered further in future studies

Summary

Introduction

Germany is a country of immigration, and according to recent data about 25% of the German population has a migrant background. One large migrant group are the so-called. Aussiedler (resettlers) from Eastern European countries, with a large subgroup immigrating from the former Soviet Union (FSU) to Germany. The ancestors of the resettlers emigrated to the Russian empire in the 18th and 19th century, by invitation of the government. They were privileged compared to the Russian population, but at the beginning of the

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