Genetic ancestry is associated with measures of subclinical atherosclerosis in African Americans: the Jackson Heart Study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether genetic ancestry was associated with subclinical atherosclerosis measures after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors, inflammatory marker, socioeconomic status, and psychosocial factors in a large admixed African American population.


RESULTS
Participants were drawn from the Jackson Heart Study. Participant's percent of European ancestry (PEA) was estimated based on 1747 genetic markers using HAPMIX. Association of PEA with peripheral arterial disease and common carotid intima-media thickness were investigated among 2168 participants and with coronary artery calcification >0 and abdominal aortic calcification >0 among 1139 participants. The associations were evaluated using multivariable regression models. Our results showed that a 1 SD increase in PEA was associated with a lower peripheral arterial disease prevalence after adjusting for age and sex (prevalence ratio=0.90 [95% CI, 0.82-0.99]; P=0.036). Adjustments for traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors, socioeconomic status, and psychosocial factors attenuated this association (prevalence ratio=0.91 [0.82-1.00]; P=0.046). There was also a nonlinear association between PEA and coronary artery calcification and abdominal aortic calcification. The lowest PEA was associated with a lower coronary artery calcification (prevalence ratio=0.75 [0.58-0.96]; P=0.022) and a lower abdominal aortic calcification [prevalence ratio=0.80 [0.67-0.96]; P=0.016) compared with the reference group (10th-90th percentile) after adjusting for traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors, inflammatory marker, socioeconomic status, and psychosocial factors. However, we found no significant association between PEA and common carotid intima-media thickness.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, our findings indicate that genetic ancestry was associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, suggesting unmeasured risk factors and interactions with genetic factors might contribute to the distribution of subclinical atherosclerosis among African Americans.
From the National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, MD (S.Y.G., P.R., R.J.K., R.X., F.T.-A., C.N.R., S.K.D.); and Jackson Heart Study (S.K.M., A.C.), and Department of Physiology & Biophysics (J.G.W.), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson. samson.gebreab@nih.gov.
Samson Y
SY
Gebreab
From the National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, MD (S.Y.G., P.R., R.J.K., R.X., F.T.-A., C.N.R., S.K.D.); and Jackson Heart Study (S.K.M., A.C.), and Department of Physiology & Biophysics (J.G.W.), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
Pia
P
Riestra
From the National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, MD (S.Y.G., P.R., R.J.K., R.X., F.T.-A., C.N.R., S.K.D.); and Jackson Heart Study (S.K.M., A.C.), and Department of Physiology & Biophysics (J.G.W.), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
Rumana J
RJ
Khan
From the National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, MD (S.Y.G., P.R., R.J.K., R.X., F.T.-A., C.N.R., S.K.D.); and Jackson Heart Study (S.K.M., A.C.), and Department of Physiology & Biophysics (J.G.W.), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
Ruihua
R
Xu
From the National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, MD (S.Y.G., P.R., R.J.K., R.X., F.T.-A., C.N.R., S.K.D.); and Jackson Heart Study (S.K.M., A.C.), and Department of Physiology & Biophysics (J.G.W.), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
Solomon K
SK
Musani
From the National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, MD (S.Y.G., P.R., R.J.K., R.X., F.T.-A., C.N.R., S.K.D.); and Jackson Heart Study (S.K.M., A.C.), and Department of Physiology & Biophysics (J.G.W.), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
Fasil
F
Tekola-Ayele
From the National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, MD (S.Y.G., P.R., R.J.K., R.X., F.T.-A., C.N.R., S.K.D.); and Jackson Heart Study (S.K.M., A.C.), and Department of Physiology & Biophysics (J.G.W.), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
Adolfo
A
Correa
From the National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, MD (S.Y.G., P.R., R.J.K., R.X., F.T.-A., C.N.R., S.K.D.); and Jackson Heart Study (S.K.M., A.C.), and Department of Physiology & Biophysics (J.G.W.), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
James G
JG
Wilson
From the National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, MD (S.Y.G., P.R., R.J.K., R.X., F.T.-A., C.N.R., S.K.D.); and Jackson Heart Study (S.K.M., A.C.), and Department of Physiology & Biophysics (J.G.W.), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
Charles N
CN
Rotimi
From the National Human Genome Research Institute, Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease Genomics Branch, Bethesda, MD (S.Y.G., P.R., R.J.K., R.X., F.T.-A., C.N.R., S.K.D.); and Jackson Heart Study (S.K.M., A.C.), and Department of Physiology & Biophysics (J.G.W.), University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
Sharon K
SK
Davis
D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008922:Mississippi; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*
African Americans; cardiovascular disease; epidemiology; genetic ancestry; subclinical atherosclerosis