Positive association of endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphism with hypertension in northern Japan

Vascular endothelial cells produce nitric oxide (NO), which contributes to the regulation of blood pressure and regional blood flow. Although Endothel ial NO synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphisms have been shown to have a positiv e association with coronary artery disease, the linkage between eNOS gene p olymorphisms and hypertension has been controversial. In the present study, therefore, we identified genotypes for Glu298Asp and variable number tande m repeats in intron 4 (4b/a) in 183 hypertensive and 193 normotensive popul ations. The Glu298Asp variant had a significant association with hypertensi on (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.0). The allele frequenc ies of 298Asp for Glu298 in hypertensive patients were significantly higher than those in normotensive subjects (0.128 vs 0.080, p<0.05). Diastolic an d mean arterial blood pressures were significantly higher in hypertensive s ubjects with the 298Asp allele than those without the variant allele (p<0.0 5). However, disequilibrium of 4b/a polymorphism was absent between these t wo groups. These results suggest that the Glu298Asp variant may be a geneti c susceptibility factor for hypertension.