Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2007) 14 OC6.6

ECE2007 Oral Communications Cardiovascular endocrinology (7 abstracts)

The importance of the TAAAA(n) alleles at the SHBG gene promoter for the severity of cardiovascular disease in women

Katerina Saltiki 2 , Nectaria Xita 3 , Adriana Cimponeriu 1 , Ioannis Kanakakis 2 , Emily Mantzou 1 , Charalambos Doukas 2 , Ioannis Georgiou 3 & Maria Alevizaki 1


1Endocrine Unit, Evgenidion Hospital, Athens University School of Medicine, Athens, Greece; 2Dept Medical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, Athens University School of Medicine, Athens, Greece; 3Medical Genetics Unit, Dept of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.


Objective: Androgen may be detrimental in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in women. We investigated possible associations between the (TAAAA)n polymorphism of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) gene promoter, which influences transcriptional efficiency of the SHBG gene and the severity of CAD in women.

Methods: One hundred and twenty women (37–82 yrs), undergoing coronary angiography. CAD severity, history of angina, myocardial infarction and reproductive history were recorded and hormonal parameters measured. According to the number of SHBG gene promoter repeats polymorphisms, patients were classified as short (≤7), medium length (=8) and long repeat (≥9) allele groups.

Results: Significant CAD was more prevalent in the group with the long-repeat allele carriers: 75% of the patients with 3 vessels with severe stenosis belonged to the long repeat allele group while only 37% of patients with mild CAD belonged to this group (P=0.004). History of angina and prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was more frequent in the long repeat allele group (P<0.05). SHBG levels correlated inversely with BMI and waist perimeter (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Longer (TAAAA)n repeats in the SHBG gene promoter are associated with more severe CAD in women undergoing coronary angiography, a finding not previously reported. This association may reflect the life-long tissue exposure to higher free androgens and supports the adverse cardiovascular effect of androgenic exposure in this highly selected group of women.

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