E-selectin gene polymorphism (A561C) and essential hypertension Meta-analysis in the Chinese population

The A561C polymorphism of the E-selectin gene (SELE) has been reported to be associated with essential hypertension (EH) in several studies; however, results among these studies were inconsistent. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore the association of the A561C polymorphism with EH. Publications were retrieved through searching PubMed, Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biological Medicine, and the Wanfang database. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to estimate the strength of association of A561C with EH. Subgroup analysis was also performed to assess ethnic discrepancies. A total of seven studies comprising 2,127 EH patients and 2,078 controls were analyzed. In the dominant model analysis, we found significant associations between the A561C polymorphism and EH in all subjects (CC+AC vs. AA, OR = 1.96, 95 %CI 1.57-2.44, P (heterogeneity) = 0.381), in a Han Chinese subgroup (CC+AC vs. AA, OR = 2.38, 95 %CI 1.73-3.29, P (heterogeneity) = 0.269), and in non-Han Chinese minorities (CC+AC vs. AA, OR = 1.62, 95 %CI 1.19-2.21, P (heterogeneity) = 0.84). The findings suggest that C allele carriers of the SELE gene polymorphism (A561C) might be predisposed to EH in the Chinese population. Further investigations in other ethnic populations should be conducted to verify these findings.