Association of caspase 7 rs12415607 gene polymorphism with cerebral ischemic stroke risk in the population of Eastern Iran

Abstract Background stroke Ischemic stroke the most common life-threatening neurological disease and an important cause of death and disability. Genetic factors are among the known risk factors for stroke. Identifying these genetic effects can lead to better stroke prevention and intervention. Among these genetic factors, we can mention caspase 7 gene polymorphism, which has been reported to be associated with stroke. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between the caspase 7 rs12415607 gene polymorphism and the risk of ischemic stroke in east of Iran population. Methods This case–control study included 241 stroke patients and 243 neurologically healthy controls, matched by age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and ethnicity. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples, and the Tetra-ARMS PCR method was used for genotyping. Results In examining the most important clinical risk factors in patients with ischemic stroke, the highest frequencies were hypertension (68.5%), dyslipidemia (36.5%), and diabetes (33.6%). Additionally, the frequencies of a parental history of stroke and ischemic heart disease, smoking, and ischemic heart disease were significantly higher in the case group. The case group also had higher levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood sugar (FBS), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and cholesterol compared to the control group ( p < 0.001), while high-density lipoproteins (HDL) were higher in the control group ( p < 0.001). The genotypic and allelic frequencies of rs12415607 polymorphism did not significantly differ between the two groups studied. There was no significant difference in the distribution of the rs12415607 polymorphism based on age, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, FBS, triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL, and HDL. Additionally, the frequency distribution of rs12415607 genotypes according to smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes was not significantly different. Furthermore, there was no difference in the frequency of rs12415607 genotypes according to ischemic stroke subtype and neck arterial stenosis severity in patients. Conclusion Based on the results of this study, cardiovascular risk factors were significantly more frequent in the ischemic stroke group. However, the CASP7 gene polymorphism rs12415607 was not associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in the studied population.