Djh. Niehaus et al., Association between a catechol-o-methyltransferase polymorphism and obsessive-compulsive disorder in the Afrikaner population, J AFFECT D, 65(1), 2001, pp. 61-65
Background: It has been proposed that the catechol-o-methyl transferase gen
e (COMT) may play a role in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disord
er (OCD). Whereas studies in a North American population showed that the lo
w activity (L) allele of a functional polymorphism in COMT was associated w
ith OCD in malt: patients. this result was: not supported by studies in a J
apanese population. The present association study assessed the risk for OCD
conferred by this COMT polymorphism in a geographically different patient
group, namely, the relatively genetically homogeneous Afrikaner population
of South Africa. Methods: Fifty-four unrelated OCD patients and fifty-four
sex-matched controls were recruited from the same Afrikaner community. Pati
ents and controls were phenotyped (DSM-IV) and genotyped for a NlaIII polym
orphism with H (high activity) or L (low activity) alleles in the COMT gene
. Results: The H/L genotype was significantly more common than expected in
the OCD patient group (P = 0.0017). Limitations: Replication studies with r
elated individuals may be useful in discovering Factors underpinning the H/
L genotype abundance in the Afrikaner population. Conclusions: These result
s emphasise the need for further studies in genetically homogeneous populat
ions to help define the complex etiology of this disease. (C) 2001 Elsevier
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