title: Polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (C677T MTHFR) is not a confounding factor of the relationship between serum uric acid level and the prevalence of hypertension in Japanese men.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The association between serum uric acid (UA) and the prevalence of hypertension, and the relationship between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphism and hypertension remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the C677T MTHFR mutation genotype (VV) is independently associated with the prevalence of hypertension or blood pressure (BP), and examined any interaction of MTHFR and UA with BP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants were randomly selected from all residents (aged 40-69 years) in a rural county of Japan, and the data for the men (n=335) were analyzed. ;Hypertension' was defined as systolic BP >or=140 and/or diastolic BP >or=90 mmHg and/or being administered antihypertensive medication. Serum UA level was independently associated with the prevalence of hypertension (odds ratio (95% confidence interval) =2.7 (1.2-5.9), p=0.047) for the highest tertile of serum UA (>or=398.5 micromol/L (6.7 mg/dl)) vs that of the lowest tertile (<321.2 micromol/L (5.4 mg/dl)), but the MTHFR mutation was not independently associated with prevalence of hypertension or BP. No interaction of the MTHFR mutation and serum UA with BP was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mutation of C677T MTHFR was not independently associated with the prevalence of hypertension or BP levels although serum UA was. Furthermore, the relationship between serum UA and BP was not modulated by the MTHFR mutation in Japanese men.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health and Nutrition Monitoring, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan. jr_tommy@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Htay
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lwin
authors.forename: Tetsuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshiike
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Chigusa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Date
authors.forename: Heizo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D015995:Prevalence; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014527:Uric Acid; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)