Different prevalence of T2DM risk alleles in Roma population in comparison with the majority Czech population

Background The Czech governmental study suggests up to a 25% higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Roma population than within the majority population. It is not known whether and to what extent these differences have a genetic background. Methods To analyze whether the frequencies of the alleles/genotypes of theFTO,TCF7L2,CDKN2A/2B,MAEA,TLE4,IGF2BP2,ARAP1,andKCNJ11genes differ between the two major ethnic groups in the Czech Republic, we examined them in DNA samples from 302 Roma individuals and 298 Czech individuals. Results Compared to the majority population, Roma are more likely to carry risk alleles in theFTO(26% vs. 16% GG homozygotes,p < .01),IGF2BP2(22% vs. 10% TT homozygotes,p < .0001),ARAP1(98% vs. 95% of A allele carriers,p < .005), andCDKN2A/2B(81% vs. 66% of TT homozygotes,p < .001) genes; however, less frequently they are carriers of theTCF7L2risk allele (34% vs. 48% of the T allelep < .0005). Finally, we found significant accumulation of T2DM-associated alleles between the Roma population in comparison with the majority population (25.4% vs. 15.2% of the carriers of at least 12 risk alleles;p < .0001). Conclusion The increased prevalence of T2DM in the Roma population may have a background in different frequencies of the risk alleles of genes associated with T2DM development.