Endothelial nitric oxide synthase Glu298Asp gene polymorphism, blood pressure and hypertension in a general population sample.

Objective: The Glu298Asp (E/D) polymorphism of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene has been related to hypertension. Since several studies have produced contradictory results, this issue is still subject to ongoing debate. We investigated the association of the eNOS E298D polymorphism with hypertension and with blood pressure (BP) in a large population-based sample of Caucasian ethnicity.

Design: Cross-sectional study in a random sample of the general population.

Methods: The eNOS E298D polymorphism was determined by 5'-exonuclease assay among 4219 participants aged 20-79 years of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP).

Results: The percentages of the EE298, ED298 and DD298 genotypes were 49.2, 42.0 and 8.8%, respectively. The D allele frequencies did not differ between the groups of normotensive and hypertensive subjects (29.7 versus 29.9%, P = 0.812). Similarly, no association could be established between E298D genotype and prevalent hypertension, neither for D allele carriership (multivariate odds ratio 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.83-1.12) nor for DD homozygosity (multivariate odds ratio 1.10, 95% confidence interval 0.84-1.43). Likewise, genotype groups did not differ as to the distribution of systolic (ANCOVA P = 0.917) or diastolic BP values (ANCOVA P = 0.657). Nearly identical results were obtained if the analyses were repeated sex-specifically or if subjects on antihypertensive medication were excluded.

Conclusion: In a population-based cohort of Caucasians covering a broad age range, the eNOS E298D polymorphism is neither associated with prevalent hypertension nor with systolic or diastolic BP. These results do not support the hypothesis that the E298D polymorphism contributes to the genetic susceptibility to hypertension.