Angiotensin II type 1 receptor polymorphisms in the cardiovascular health study: relation to blood pressure, ethnicity, and cardiovascular events

Abstract Background The angiotensin II type 1 receptor A1166C polymorphism has been associated with increased risks of hypertension and myocardial infarction in several small studies. We examined the association between this polymorphism and new-onset hypertension, blood pressure (BP) control, and incident cardiovascular events in a large population-based cohort of older adults. Methods Eight hundred self-identified African Americans and 1371 randomly selected white participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study were genotyped. The median duration of follow-up was 8.1 years. Results The A1166C polymorphism was not associated with new-onset hypertension, with BP control, or with incident cardiovascular events in the overall population. In white participants, the CC genotype was associated with higher baseline systolic BP and pulse pressure, compared to the AC or AA genotype. In whites with treated hypertension at baseline, compared to the AA genotype, the CC genotype was associated with increased risks of incident congestive heart failure (hazard RATIO = 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3–4.9) and incident ischemic stroke (hazard RATIO = 2.6, 95% CI 1.1–6.0). These associations were not observed among white participants without treated hypertension, but the interaction of genotype with treated hypertension on ischemic stroke and heart failure was only marginally significant. Conclusions On the whole, in this large cohort of older adults, the A1166C polymorphism was not associated with BP control or incident cardiovascular events. The subgroup findings in treated hypertensives need to be confirmed in additional studies.