An association between the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene G894T polymorphism and premature coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis

Previous epidemiological studies have suggested that genetic factors are more likely to influence the development of premature coronary artery disease (CAD) than disease in older patients. Several studies have evaluated the association between the G894T polymorphism located in an exon of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and the risk of premature CAD. However, the findings were inconsistent. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the association; we conducted both overall and subgroup analyses. Odds ratios and 95% confidence interval were calculated to evaluate the association between the G894T polymorphism and the risk of premature CAD. Overall analysis revealed a significant association. Subgroup analysis in terms of ethnicity revealed a significant association, in all models evaluated, between the G894T polymorphism and susceptibility to premature CAD in mixed population. In contrast, no such association was evident in Caucasians and Asians. On further subgroup analysis based on the premature CAD subtypes, we found that the G894T polymorphism was correlated with premature myocardial infarction (MI) but not with premature CAD without MI. In conclusion, we confirmed that the eNOS G894T polymorphism is a risk factor for premature CAD, particularly in those suffering premature MI.