Coronary Artery Disease: A Study on the Joint Role ofBirth Weight, Adenosine Deaminase, and Gender

[摘要] An inverse relationship between birth weightand coronary artery diseasesis well documented but it remains unclear which exposure in early life might underlie such association. Recently it has been reported an association between adenosine deaminasegenetic polymorphism and coronary artery diseases. Gender differences in the degree of this association have been also observed. These observations prompted us to study the possible joint effects of BW, ADA, and gender on the susceptibility to coronary artery diseases. 222 subjects admitted to hospital for nonfatal coronary artery diseases, and 762 healthy consecutive newborns were studied. ADA genotypes were determined by DNA analysis. A highly significant complex relationship has emerged among ADA, birth weight, and gender concerning their role on susceptibility to coronary artery diseases in adult life. Odds ratio analysis suggests that low birth weight is more important in females than in males. ADA∗2 allele appears protective in males, while in females such effect is obscured by birth weight.

[学科分类] 心脏病和心血管学