A985G polymorphism of the endothelin-2 gene and atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

It was recently suggested that the angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/insertion genotype, which is considered to be protective against cardiovascular disease, was a significant risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the endothelin-2 (EDN2) A985G polymorphism and AF in patients with HCM. The EDN2 A985G polymorphism (rs 5800) was genotyped in 110 patients with HCM who had no clinically documented AF before medical treatment. The distribution of the EDN2 genotypes (G/G, G/A, and A/A) was 77.3%, 19.1%, and 3.6%, respectively. The EDN2 A allele frequency was 0.21 in 26 patients who subsequently developed AF during long-term follow-up and 0.11 in 84 patients who remained in sinus rhythm. The distribution of genotypes of the dominant EDN2 A allele between the two groups was significantly different by chi-square analysis (42.3% vs 16.7%, p=0.014). In a multivariate model, the A985 allele of the EDN2 gene was associated with increased adjusted risk for the occurrence of AF (p=0.018). The EDN2 A985 allele, which is considered to be protective in cardiovascular disease, may be a risk factor for AF in patients with HCM.