OBJECTIVETo clarify whether A1166C polymorphism of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT(1)R) gene is associated with susceptibility to essential hypertension in Han, Tibetan and Yi populations in China.

METHODSThis study involved 302 normotensive and 446 hypertensive subjects. The polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in genomic DNA. The data were analyzed by ANCOVA, chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression.

RESULTSIn normotensive controls, the A1166 allele frequencies were 0.979, 0.939 and 0.965 in Han, Tibetan and Yi participants, respectively. There was no significant intergroup variation in frequency of the allele in normotensives (chi-square=4.166, P=0.125). The frequency of the A1166 allele in Tibetan male hypertensives was significantly higher than that in normotensives (chi-square=11.46, P=0.001). There was no significant difference in A1166C genotype distribution and allele frequency between normotensives and hypertensives either in the Han (P=0.465) or Yi (P=0.357) populations. Body mass index in the Han and Yi populations (P=0.0001), age in the Tibetan and Yi populations (P=0.0001), and AA genotype in the Tibetan male population (P=0.0034) all were independent risk factors for hypertension. Diastolic blood pressure levels were significantly higher in Tibetan male subjects with the AA genotype than in those with the AC+CC genotype (P=0.0040).

CONCLUSIONThe A1166 allele is very common in Han, Tibetan and Yi populations, approximately 1.35-fold more common than in Caucasians. The A1166 allele of the AT(1)R gene may be a predisposing factor for essential hypertension in Tibetan males. A1166C polymorphism of the AT(1)R gene is probably not involved in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension in Han and Yi populations.