Relationship of genetic variants in gene encoding adrenomedullin with hypertension and dysglycaemia in Hong Kong Chinese

Abstract

Introduction: Adrenomedullin (AM) is a vasodilatory peptide that acts directly via cAMP and indirectly via endothelial nitric oxide. It also facilitates the differentiation of pre-adipocytes and affects lipolysis and glucose uptake. Therefore, we investigated the association of common genetic variants in the gene encoding adrenomedullin (ADM) with hypertension and dysglycaemia in the Hong Kong Chinese population. Methods: We genotyped 4 SNPs of ADM, rs3814700, rs11042725, rs34354539 and rs4910118, in 1936 subjects from the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study-2 (CRISPS-2), which has a median follow-up time of 6.4 years. Dysglycaemia includes impaired fasting glucose (≥6.1 mmol/L), impaired glucose tolerance (2h glucose ≥7.8 mmol/L) and diabetes. Results: The minor T allele of SNP rs4910118 was significantly associated with lower systolic blood pressure (β=-0.057, P=0.0079) and mean arterial pressure (β=-0.054, P=0.014) at baseline after adjusting for covariates, but not at follow-up. However, none of the SNPs was significantly associated with prevalent or incident hypertension. Although dysglycaemia was not significantly associated with any of the SNPs at baseline, the minor A allele of the SNP rs11042725 was significantly associated with the development of dysglycaemia during follow-up (OR=1.30, P=0.018) and dysglycaemia at follow-up (OR=1.24, P=0.0093), after adjusting for covariates. Conclusion: Our study provides preliminary evidence for a role of the adrenomedullin gene in influencing blood pressure and the development of diabetes.