Interaction Study of Ambient PM_2.5 Exposure and <i>SVIL</i> Polymorphism with Hypertension in Koreans

Hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure 90 mmHg.The exact cause of hypertension has not been identified, but genetic factors and environmental factors, such as air pollution, interact to cause hypertension.Therefore, this study examined the relationship between PM 2.5 and genetic polymorphisms on hypertension using the Korea Genome and Epidemiology Study cohort.As a result, the incidence of hypertension increased according to the level of exposure to PM 2.5 .The odds ratio (OR) increased by 3.07 (P=5.40810 -1 , 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.29~4.11) in the highest exposure group (PM 2.5 31.6 g/m) compared to the lowest exposure group (PM 2.5 <28 g/m).In addition, this study identified six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that showed statistically significant relationships (P<0.001) between hypertensive patients (n=752) and controls (n=2,115).Among the SNPs, rs11007696 showed a high association with hypertension (P=6.23110 - , OR=0.73, 95% CI=0.64~0.84).The risk of hypertension increased further when genetic and environmental factors were combined (P=4.26510-5 , OR=3.98, 95% CI=2.04~7.78).This suggests that exposure to PM 2.5 and SVIL polymorphisms are related to the development of hypertension in Koreans, which may provide a new guideline for managing the progression of hypertension.