Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a devastating disease that affects approximately 30,000 people a year in the United States. Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and cerebral vasospasm (CV) are common complications after aSAH. In addition, aSAH patients have a high risk of poor long-term outcomes. Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor, or its two types of receptors, ET receptor A (ETA) and ET receptor B (ETB), may play a role in the pathogenesis of DCI and CV. Genetic variations within the ET-1, ETA, or ETB genes may also account for variance observed in the outcomes of aSAH patients. The purpose of this study was to describe the distribution of the Lys198Asn polymorphism, a known functional SNP in the ET-1 gene, and tagging SNPs of the ET-1, ETA, and ETB genes in individuals recovering from aSAH. This study also investigated the relationships among the ET polymorphisms, DCI, and global functional outcomes measured at 3 and 6 months after aSAH. Participants included individuals aged 18-75 years with a diagnosis of aSAH. There was a trend found between the variant allele of an ET-1 SNP (rs6912834) and angiographic vasospasm. There were also associations found between two ETB SNPs (rs9574124 and rs3027111) and poor outcomes as measured by the Glasgow Outcome scale at 3 months. These findings support the role of ET-1 and ETB in recovery following aSAH.
Keywords: aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage; cerebral vasospasm; delayed cerebral ischemia; endothelin receptor A; endothelin receptor B; endothelin-1; functional outcomes.