Polymorphism in the angiotensinogen gene, hypertension, and ethnic differences in the risk of recurrent coronary events

The M235T mutation of the human angiotensinogen gene has been shown to be associated with elevated circulating angiotensinogen concentrations and essential hypertension. The frequencies of the 235T allele are significantly different in black and white subjects. We analyzed the independent contribution of the angiotensinogen M235T mutation to the development of recurrent coronary events (coronary-related death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or unstable angina) in a cohort of 916 black (n=145) and white (n=771) postmyocardial infarction patients who were prospectively studied during an average follow-up of 28 months. The frequency of the 235T allele was significantly higher among black (82%) than among white (44%) patients (P<0.001). There was no evidence for Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium. During follow-up, 41 cardiac events (28%) occurred in blacks and 197 (26%) in whites (P=0.49). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis demonstrated that 235T homozygosity was independently associated with increased risk of coronary events among black (hazard ratio: 2.37; P=0.04) but not white (hazard ratio: 0.93; P=0.68) patients, with a significant ethnic-related interaction effect (P for the difference=0.04). Among hypertensive black patients, the TT genotype was associated with a 3.3-fold (P=0.02) increase in the risk of coronary events. Our findings suggest that homozygosity for the 235T mutation in the angiotensinogen gene is an independent risk factor for coronary events in black postmyocardial infarction patients. The presence of hypertension significantly augments the risk associated with this genetic mutation.