Polymorphism of angiotensinogen gene M235T in myocardial infarction and brain infarction: a meta-analysis

• M235T may be a risk factor in the etiology of MI and BI in East Asian population.
• M235T polymorphism did not impact the risk of MI in total population.
• More studies are needed to further understand the genetic basis of MI and BI.

The angiotensinogen (AGT) gene M235T polymorphism has been reported to be associated with myocardial infarction (MI) and brain infarction (BI), but the results remain inconclusive. This meta-analysis was designed to clarify these controversies. Electronic databases were systematically searched before February 2013. A total of 38 studies with 17304 subjects met our inclusion criteria. In East Asian group, significant association was found between AGT M235T polymorphism and risk of MI (for dominant model: OR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.04–3.06; for recessive model OR = 2.01; 95% CI = 1.21–3.36; for additive model OR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.14–2.86) as well as BI (for dominant model: OR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.22–2.27; for recessive model OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.29–2.46; for additive model: OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.34–2.00), while the M235T polymorphism did not impact the risk of MI in total population and other ethnicity. In the subgroup analyses by gender and age, there was lack of evidence for the association. This meta-analysis suggested an association between the M235T polymorphism and MI as well as BI in East Asian population. Further studies with larger numbers of worldwide participants are needed to understand the genetic basis of MI and BI.