Polymorphisms of the heart-type fatty acid-binding protein as a prognostic factor in patients with atherosclerosis

The amount of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (FABP3) in cardiomyocytes may affect the prognosis of patients with coronary atherosclerosis. In this study, we examined whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the FABP3 gene were prognostic factors in patients with coronary atherosclerosis. We enrolled 100 patients with myocardial infarction and coronary atherosclerosis and 100 healthy individuals to assess the genotypes of four SNPs of the FABP3 gene (RS2271072, RS16834408, RS2279885, and RS10914367). The MI patients with coronary atherosclerosis exhibited a higher frequency (16%) of the C/G-G/G haplotype of RS2271072 and RS10914367 than healthy individuals (7%). Koreans with the C/G-G/G haplotype for these SNPs had a higher risk of MI than did Koreans with the G/G-A/A haplotype. We calculated an odds ratio of 2.83 (95% confidence interval: 1.01-7.96). In conclusion, the C/G-G/G haplotype at RS2271072 and RS10914367 SNPs of FABP3 might be a prognostic factor in patients with coronary atherosclerosis.