There is no agreement on the involvement of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) gene A(1166)C variant and essential hypertension. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) gene A(1166)C variants with essential hypertension and some related parameters in a sample of Jordanian hypertensive patients. DNA samples from 108 hypertensive individuals and 102 age- and gender-matched non-hypertensive controls of the Jordanian population were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism assay (PCR-RFLP) methods to determine the frequency of A(1166)C variants alleles. No statistically significant differences were found in the distribution of alleles and genotypes between hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals, not even after gender segregation. The frequency of the variant allele (C(1166)) was significantly higher in the early-onset compared to the late-onset group of hypertensive males, in subjects with positive family history of hypertension, and in subjects with high waist circumference. In conclusion, the A(1166)C polymorphism is not associated with essential hypertension in Jordanian hypertensive individuals. However, it was associated with an early onset of hypertension in males, with positive family history of hypertension, and with high waist circumference irrespective of blood pressure status.
Keywords: A1166C SNP; AT1R gene; Jordanian population; early onset hypertension; family history of hypertension; waist circumference.