The FABP2 gene polymorphism in cerebrovascular disease.
OBJECTIVE
Earlier studies have shown that the fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2) T54 allele is associated with dyslipidemia, which in turn correlates with the incidence of cerebrovascular disease (CVD). To assess whether the FABP2 gene A54T polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of CVD we undertook a case-control study.


METHODS
A total of 407 patients diagnosed with acute CVD and 158 control subjects were genotyped for the A54T polymorphism using a PCR-RFLP method.


RESULTS
Allele and genotype frequencies of the FABP2 A54T polymorphism did not differ between subjects with acute CVD (TT, 9.6%; TA, 41.0%; AA, 49.4%) and controls (TT, 7.6%; TA, 41.1%; AA, 51.3%; P = ns) or in the following subgroups of CVD compared with controls: non-cardioembolic infarction (n = 252), intracerebral hemorrhage (n = 23), and cardioembolic infarction (n = 91). In transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) (n = 41) the combined TT and TA genotype frequency (TT + TA, 65.9%) was more frequent than in controls (48.7%) (P = 0.05). Furthermore, the TT genotype was more frequent in non-smoking patients under the age of 70 (n = 77) with a non-cardioembolic infarction (TT, 18.2%) compared with controls (7.6%) (P = 0.024).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest an involvement of the FABP2 (A54T) gene polymorphism in the pathogenesis of CVD. The FABP2 T54 allele appears to be a genetic susceptibility marker for TIA and non-cardioembolic infarction at younger onset.
Wanby
P
P
Department of Internal Medicine, County Hospital of Kalmar, Kalmar, Sweden.
Palmquist
P
P
Rydén
I
I
Brattström
L
L
Carlsson
M
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012307:Risk Factors
D002352:Carrier Proteins; C493404:FABP2 protein, human; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins