Association of VEGF Gene Polymorphisms with the Development of Heart Failure in Patients after Myocardial Infarction

Objectives: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is upregulated in vivo in the ischemic human myocardium. Since several polymorphisms have been shown to influence VEGF expression, we evaluated the contribution of such polymorphisms to the clinical outcome of patients after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed to genotype 10 VEGF polymorphisms in 102 patients who had suffered an AMI and in 98 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. Distribution of these polymorphisms was assessed by logistic regression analysis. Results: No significant differences were found between patients and normal individuals. However, when patients were subdivided into 2 groups based on the development of heart failure after their AMI judged by heart ultrasound measurements (ejection fraction <40%), the distribution of the -634 polymorphism differed significantly (p = 0.016). Specifically, patients with a CC genotype had 7 times higher risk of developing heart failure. Additionally, the co-inheritance of -634 with other VEGF polymorphisms was found to be significant for the development of heart failure between these 2 groups. Conclusions: Our data indicate that the -634 polymorphism and its co-inheritance with genotypes of other VEGF polymorphisms might be considered as risk factors playing a role in the clinical outcome of AMI patients. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel