Common Variants of Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and aims: ApaI, FokI, TaqI, and BsmI polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene have been reported to be associated with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), although the results of previous studies have been inconsistent. The aim of this study was to explore whether these polymorphisms play a role in the genetic susceptibility to CAD.

Methods: A comprehensive search of Medline and Embase databases was conducted for studies evaluating the association between the VDR polymorphisms and CAD risk. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to assess the strength of association in the dominant model, recessive model, allelic model, and genotypes contrast.

Results: Nine studies involving a total of 5,259 cases and 1,981 controls were finally included in this meta-analysis. Overall, no significant associations were found between ApaI, FokI, TaqI, and BsmI polymorphisms and the risk of CAD in any of the genetic models (all p ˃ 0.05). Moreover, a subgroup analysis by ethnicity did not reveal a significant relationship between any of the examined polymorphisms and CAD risk in Caucasians and East-Asians for any model (all p ˃ 0.05).

Conclusion: Current evidence suggests that the ApaI, FokI, TaqI, and BsmI polymorphisms of the VDR gene might not be associated with genetic susceptibility to CAD. Further well-designed studies with large sample sizes are needed to confirm our results.