Estrogen receptor-1 genotype is related to coronary intima thickness in young to middle-aged women.
The incidence of coronary disease in premenopausal women is about one-half that in men of similar age. The estrogen receptor-1 (ESR1, c.454-397T>C) CC variant genotype is associated with the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and an increased risk of myocardial infarction in men. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether this ESR1 CC variant also disposes to atherosclerosis in women in terms of increased total coronary artery intima thickness. A total of 125 forensic autopsy cases of women aged 15 to 49 years were investigated. The thickness of the coronary intima, which reflects the severity of atherosclerosis, was measured by computerized image analysis. The ESR1 c.454-397T>C genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The mean intima thicknesses in the three genotype groups were 428+/-298 microm (TT), 494+/-371 microm (CT) and 636+/-436 microm (CC). We found that, on average, women with the CC genotype had a thicker coronary intima compared with that of women with the TT genotype, even after adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.030). The intermediate group (TC) did not significantly differ from either the CC or the TT genotype group in this respect. Our results point to the importance of ESR1 genotype in relation to cardiovascular disease susceptibility.