Aims: The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs11066001 of BRAP has been shown to be associated with myocardial infarction (MI), coronary atherosclerosis and carotid atherosclerosis, but it is not clear whether it also plays a role in peripheral artery disease (PAD). The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is often used as a non-invasive measure of PAD; therefore, the aim of this study was to test for a relationship between the SNP rs11066001 and ABI.
Methods: A total of 537 high-risk subjects with a family history of MI or stroke completed a health survey, including a physical examination, blood test and measurement of ABI. Among them, 523 subjects had the genotypes. Association analyses between the genotype of BRAP and ABI were performed by multiple linear and logistic regressions with adjustment for covariates.
Results: We found that the GG genotype is significantly associated with a lower ABI value. For the lowest ABI tertile, the GG genotype had an OR of 2.87 (p =0.018) when compared with the middle ABI tertile, and OR of 2.92 (p =0.015) when compared to the highest ABI tertile. Women with the GG genotype had a lower ABI value than men with the same genotype (p =0.012). Accordingly, women carrying this GG risk genotype may have a higher risk for PAD.
Conclusion: Our findings provide additional evidence that support the genetic effect of BRAP on diverse cardiovascular phenotypes.