Evaluation of the Correlation between the rs4918 Polymorphism of AHSG Gene and Coronary Artery Calcification in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Objectives: Fetuin-A is a circulating calcification inhibitor that prevents coronary artery calcification (CAC) by increasing calcium phosphate solubility and inhibiting VSMC differentiation and apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the correlation between rs4918 and CAC in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: Forty-two healthy individuals and eighty-one CAD patients were recruited in the present study. The CAC score (CACS) was measured by CT angiography and the genotype analysis of rs4918 single-nucleotide polymorphism SNP was performed by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. Results: The CACS was significantly higher in CAD patients compared to healthy individuals (p < 0.001); however, there was no significant difference between the mean CACS in the presence and absence of rs4918 (p = 0.792). The mean calcium score of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) was significantly lower in carriers of the rs4918 allele (p = 0.036). The frequency of rs4918 SNP was almost similar in the control group and CAD patients (p = 0.846). Conclusions: in patients with CAD, we found no significant association between rs4918 SNP and CACS, indicating that carriers of this allele are not at increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases compared with those without.