The G-308a Promoter Variant Of The Tumor Necrosis Factor-a Gene Is Associated With Hypertension In Adolescents Harboring The Metabolic Syndrome

SOOKOIAN, S.; GARCIA, S.; GIANOTTI, T. F.; DIEUZEIDE, G.; GONZALEZ, CLAUDIO; CARLOS JOSE PIROLA

American Journal of Hypertension

ELSEVIER

Año: 2005 vol. 18 p. 1271 - 1275

0895-7061

Background: TNFa may play a role in the metabolic syndrome that has emerged as a growing concern in the pediatric and adolescent population in recent years. Our aim was to study the association between the -308(G®A) TNF-a variant and the components of the metabolic syndrome in adolescents in a cross-sectional study. Methods: in a population-based study, we determined medical history, anthropometrics variables, biochemical measurements, and arterial blood pressures of 934 high school students of Caucasian origin, out of whom we selected 175 adolescents. Genotyping for the polymorphism was performed by PCR-based RFLP analysis. Results: In univariate analysis, we found that there was no difference between A allele carriers and non-carriers in most of the clinical characteristics of the metabolic syndrome such as BMI, waist-hip ratio, plasma leptin levels, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, plasma fasting glucose, insulin and homocysteine levels. However we found a significant (p: 0.015) higher age and sex-adjusted systolic blood pressure (SBP Z score) in the A allele carriers as well as we found that A allele carriers showed an elevated HOMA index with respect to non-carriers. Logistic regression analysis indicates that A allele carriers had a 2.8-fold higher risk of hypertension independently of BMI, waist-hip ratio and HOMA index. Conclusion: this is the first report showing an association between the -308(G®A) TNFa variant and SABP Z score and HOMA index in adolescents harboring features of metabolic syndrome. Then, the A allele may predispose to hypertension and insulin resistance in youth.