Background: Increased activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may be important in promoting coronary heart disease (CHD) and renal dysfunction, but limited data are available on associations between angiotensin type 1 receptor (AGT1R) and angiotensinogen (AGT) genotypes in type 2 diabetes.
Methods: Study participants were diabetics from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) and the Nurses' Health Study (NHS). We analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with cardiovascular pathophysiology (including AGT1R T573C, AGT1R A1166C, and AGT M235T) and presence of renal dysfunction (eGFR<60 ml/min/1.73 m2) or history of CHD.
Results: The AGT1R 1166 C-allele was associated with eGFR<60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (multivariable OR 1.63 [1.01, 2.65]) in the HPFS men (n = 733) and in the combined dataset (n = 1566) (OR 1.42 [1.02, 1.98]). The AGT1R 1166 C-allele was also associated with CHD in men (OR 1.57 [1.10, 2.24]). In NHS women (n = 833), AGT 235T-allele was associated with CHD (OR 1.72 [1.20, 2.47]). Removal of hypertension from the fully adjusted models did not influence results, suggesting that the associations may not be mediated by hypertension. There were significant interactions between sex and AGT1R 1166 C-allele (p = 0.008) and AGT M235T (p = 0.03) in models for CHD. No significant associations were seen between AGT1R T573 C-allele and renal dysfunction or CHD.
Conclusion: Polymorphisms in AGT1R and AGT genes are associated with renal dysfunction and CHD in type 2 diabetes and further support the important role of the RAS in these complications. Sex may modify associations between AGT1R 1166 C-allele and AGT 235T and CHD in type 2 diabetes.