Association between Genetic Factors of Blood Pressure Regulation and Intrinsic Capacity Parameters in Elderly Residents of the European North of Russia

Introduction: Identification of genetic factors of blood pressure regulation is important for predicting intrinsic capacity (IC) in the elderly residents of the European North of Russia.

Objective: To investigate the associations between single nucleotide variants (SNVs) of the genes involved in blood pressure regulation with functional IC indicators in people aged 60–74 years living in the European North of Russia.

Materials and Methods: We examined 611 residents of the Arkhangelsk Region, 36.8 % of whom were men, and assessed their socio-demographic status, the presence of arterial hypertension, parameters of the locomotor, sensory, and cognitive, and psychological IC domains, and genotypes of six SNVs in the genes AGT (rs699, rs4762), AGTR1 (rs5186), ACE (rs4646994), NOS3 (rs2070744), and EDN1 (rs5370). Statistical analysis was performed using linear, logistic, and quantile regressions with adjustments for age and sex.

Results: The C allele of the AGTR1 gene (rs5186) was associated with greater handgrip strength (+1.9 kg/m²; p = 0.045) and lower odds of hearing impairment (p = 0.040). Heterozygotes AC of the AGTR1 gene (rs5186) had two times lower odds of hearing impairment compared to AA homozygotes (p = 0.020). The C allele of the AGT gene (rs4762) was associated with 4.2-fold lower odds of visual acuity reduction (p = 0.030), whereas the TT genotype was associated with a 3.9-fold higher odds (p = 0.037). The CC genotype of the NOS3 gene (rs2070744) was associated with higher depression symptom scores (p = 0.030) whereas the G allele of the EDN1 gene (rs5370) – with lower scores (p = 0.039).

Conclusions: We identified several genetic biomarkers of reduced functional IC parameters in elderly residents of the European North of Russia, namely the T allele of the AGT gene (rs4762) (visual acuity) and the C allele of the NOS3 gene (rs2070744) (depression symptoms). The sustained functional IC parameters were associated with the C allele of the AGTR1 gene (rs5186) (hearing acuity, handgrip strength), and the G allele of the EDN1 gene (rs5370) (depression symptoms).

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