Association of LDLR Gene Polymorphism with the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in End-Stage Kidney Disease Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis

Abstract

The low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) is essential for regulating intracellular cholesterol levels. Mutations in the LDLR gene can cause a increase in LDL cholesterol levels in the blood, elevating the vulnerability to cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study evaluated the correlation between the LDLR rs688 polymorphism and CVD risk in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Polymorphism in this case-control study was genotyped using the TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction in a cohort of 100 CKD patients (Group I) and 100 healthy controls (Group II). We examined the LDLR rs688 allele and genotype distribution in 50 CKD cases with CVD and 50 cases without CVD. There was a significantly greater frequency of CT variant of LDL SNP rs688 in Group I than in Group II (p = 0.006). CT and TT genotypes were significantly higher in CKD patients with CVD, with odds ratios (ORs) (95% CI) of 4.3 (1.6–11.8, p = 0.004) and 7.6 (2.3–24.8, p = 0.001), respectively. SNP rs688 C>T detection in the LDLR gene showed that CT and TT genotypes are associated with elevated CVD risk in CKD.