Introduction: Genetic variants of the angiotensinogen gene have been linked to both hypertension and preeclampsia. The M235T polymorphism is more common in hypertension and preeclampsia in some populations. A polymorphism in the angiotensinogen basal promoter region of AGT -217 is more common in African Americans with hypertension. The authors investigated the frequency of M235T and AGT -217 in Caucasian and African American women with and without preeclampsia.
Methods: The study was a nested case-control study of primiparous women with singleton pregnancies. Genomic DNA from preeclamptic and control subjects underwent polymerase chain reaction amplification and restriction digestion.
Results: The M235T and AGT -217 polymorphisms were both more common in African American women; however, the variants were not more common in preeclampsia.
Conclusion: The frequency of angiotensinogen polymorphisms M235T and AGT -217 is different by race; however, these polymorphisms are not associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia.