title: Association of VDR gene polymorphisms with heart disease in chronic kidney disease patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been postulated that VDR polymorphisms influence mortality in CKD by directly modifying VDR protein levels or VDR sensitivity in target organs. Here we aimed at evaluating the possible association of VDR FokI and BsmI gene polymorphisms with co-morbid conditions of CKD at different stages.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients included in this study were a Sicilian cohort of 171 subjects, at CKD stage 1-2 (n=49), stage 3 (n=34), stage 4-5 (n=34), and hemodialysis (HD) (n=54). Almost 70% of patients were also suffering from heart disease, with/without diabetes and/or hypertension, and 40% were also suffering of hypertension, with/without diabetes and/or heart disease; only around 20% had no co-morbid conditions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A highly significant association was found between the BsmI B minor allele and heart disease in all CKD stages. Indeed, the odds ratio calculation showed that patients bearing either the bB or BB genotype had, respectively, a seven-fold and around twelve-fold increased risk for heart disease. Instead, the presence of bb wild-type genotype was associated with a fifty-fold reduced risk for heart disease, suggesting that the b allele may display a protective effect. No association was found for FokI genotypes with the different co-morbid conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We first demonstrated that the VDR BsmI B allele may be considered as a genetic determinant for heart disease and hypertension in CKD, independently from disease stage. Thus, the screening for VDR variants should be regarded as a way to better address preventive strategies and improving the management of CKD co-morbid conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buemi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gagliostro
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morpho-functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vecchio
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morpho-functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Currò
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morpho-functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ientile
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morpho-functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. Electronic address: dcaccamo@unime.it.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caccamo
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol / Q000235:genetics*; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000235:genetics*; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol; C579457:VDR protein, human
keywords: Chronic kidney disease; Diabetes; Genetic determinants of disease risk; Heart disease; Hypertension; VDR polymorphisms