Remodeling and diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle in patients with arterial hypertension and polymorphism rs5918 of the <i>ITGB3</i> gene: cross-sectional study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify diastolic myocardial function features in late postmenopausal women with polymorphic variants of the integrin beta-3 (ITGB3) gene and arterial hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 97 postmenopausal women, with a median age of 67 (6570) years. The duration of menopause was 18 (1621) years. Molecular genetic studies to assess ITGB3 (rs5918) T1565C polymorphism were performed. The study participants with the homozygous TT ITGB3 polymorphic variant comprised group 1, whereas group 2 included patients with the C allele (TC and CC genotypes). All patients underwent standard transthoracic echocardiography and assessment of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function by transmitral flow. LV diastolic dysfunction was classified into rigid, pseudonormal, and restrictive. RESULTS: Homozygous allelic variant TT was detected in 65 (67%) patients, heterozygous TC in 29 (30%), and homozygous polymorphic variant CC in 3 (3%). LVDD occurred in all patients included in the study. Among patients with the TT allelic variant of ITGB3, rigid LVDD was diagnosed in 34 (52%), and its pseudo-normal variant was detected in 31 (48%). Among TC and CC genotypes of C allele carriers, a pseudo-normal variant of LVDD (p 0.01), which occurred in 20 (62%) patients, was statistically significantly more frequently recorded, and 12 (38%) patients had a rigid type of LVDD. In addition, a rigid type LVDD was not detected in any case. Calcification of the mitral and aortic valve leaflets was detected in 24 (37%) cases in group 1 and in 9 (28%) patients in group 2 (p=0.68). In fibrous rings, calcifications were found in 34 (52%) patients in group 1 and 16 (50%) in group 2 (p=0.31), and the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: This study presents a significant contribution of the rs5918 polymorphism of ITGB3 in the development of myocardial remodeling and LVDD in postmenopausal women.