A study assessing the association of glycated hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) associated variants with HbA1C, chronic kidney disease and diabetic retinopathy in populations of Asian ancestry.
Glycated hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) level is used as a diagnostic marker for diabetes mellitus and a predictor of diabetes associated complications. Genome-wide association studies have identified genetic variants associated with HbA1C level. Most of these studies have been conducted in populations of European ancestry. Here we report the findings from a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of HbA1C levels in 6,682 non-diabetic subjects of Chinese, Malay and South Asian ancestries. We also sought to examine the associations between HbA1C associated SNPs and microvascular complications associated with diabetes mellitus, namely chronic kidney disease and retinopathy. A cluster of 6 SNPs on chromosome 17 showed an association with HbA1C which achieved genome-wide significance in the Malays but not in Chinese and Asian Indians. No other variants achieved genome-wide significance in the individual studies or in the meta-analysis. When we investigated the reproducibility of the findings that emerged from the European studies, six loci out of fifteen were found to be associated with HbA1C with effect sizes similar to those reported in the populations of European ancestry and P-value ≤ 0.05. No convincing associations with chronic kidney disease and retinopathy were identified in this study.
Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Peng
P
Chen
Rick Twee-Hee
RT
Ong
Wan-Ting
WT
Tay
Xueling
X
Sim
Mohammad
M
Ali
Haiyan
H
Xu
Chen
C
Suo
Jianjun
J
Liu
Kee-Seng
KS
Chia
Eranga
E
Vithana
Terri L
TL
Young
Tin
T
Aung
Wei-Yen
WY
Lim
Chiea-Chuen
CC
Khor
Ching-Yu
CY
Cheng
Tien-Yin
TY
Wong
Yik-Ying
YY
Teo
E-Shyong
ES
Tai
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D005838:Genotype; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D015995:Prevalence; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D012846:Singapore; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin