Abstract
Background25-Hydroxyvitamin D (Vit.D) levels associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) may vary according to genetic variants in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene. However, the existing results are not conclusive in the Egyptian population, where diabetes mellitus is a common CVD risk factor. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the role of VDR polymorphism in Egyptian patients with CVD by studying the association of the rs2228570 (FokI) and rs1544410 (BsmI) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the VDR gene and serum levels of Vit.D with several CVD risk factors in patients with and without diabetes mellitus. We studied the genotypes for rs2228570 (FokI) and rs1544410 (BsmI) SNPs of the VDR gene in 382 Egyptian patients (120 CVD patients with diabetes, 124 CVD patients without diabetes, 69 diabetic patients without CVD and 69 healthy individuals). We also determined the serum levels of Vit.D, insulin, lipids, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and the body mass index (BMI).ResultsThe distribution of genotypes and allelic frequencies of the rs2228570 (FokI) and rs1544410 (BsmI) SNPs of the VDR gene was significant in CVD patients (p < 0.001). The level of Vit.D was significantly lower in patients with CVD and diabetes compared to those without diabetes (p < 0.001). Moreover, there was a significant association between Vit.D level and the selected SNPs with serum lipids, BMI, FBG, and insulin levels in CVD patients with or without diabetes.ConclusionThe level of Vit.D and the distribution of VDR polymorphisms are associated with risk of CVD in Egyptian patients with or without diabetes. These results suggest that VDR polymorphisms may be potential diagnostic biomarkers for CVD susceptibility.
Highlights
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major health problem and a common cause of morbidity and mortality in both high and low-income countries [1, 2]
The results revealed that body mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in CVD patients with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to diabetic patients and controls
The study revealed a significant correlation between Vit.D levels and BMI, insulin, Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), total cholesterol (TC), TG, Lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL)-C and HDL-C levels in diabetics, and patients with CVD with and without diabetes (Table 2)
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major health problem and a common cause of morbidity and mortality in both high and low-income countries [1, 2]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CVDs account for 17.9 million deaths worldwide and this number is expected to increase to 23.6 million by 2030. In Egypt, CVDs account for 40% of total deaths [3, 4]. Recent genomic studies suggest that the use of susceptibility variants may be important for the diagnosis and treatment of CVD [7]. Vit.D deficiency has been linked to CVD and T2D, as it regulates endothelial, smooth and cardiac muscle cell functions, blood pressure; in addition, it maintains both glucose tolerance and insulin release [11]. Several epidemiological studies have reported the association between Vit.D deficiency and CVD and its risk factors, such as obesity, T2D, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hypertension [12,13,14,15]
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