The combined effects of genetic risk and perceived discrimination on blood pressure among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jacquelyn Y. Taylor, Yale University; Yan Sun, Emory University; Veronica Barcelona de Mendoza, Yale University; Mosi Ifatunji, University of North Carolina; Jane Rafferty, University of Michigan; Ervin R. Fox, University of Mississippi; Solomon K. Musani, University of Mississippi; Mario Sims, University of Mississippi; James S. Jackson, University of Michigan
• Language: English
• Date: 2017-10-01
• Publisher: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins: Various Creative Commons
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2017 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000008369
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Medicine
• ISSN: 0025-7974
• Volume: 96
• Issue: 43
• Start Page: e8369
• End Page: e8369
• Grant/Funding Information: The Jackson Heart Study (JHS) is supported and conducted in collaboration with Jackson State University (HHSN268201300049C and HHSN268201300050C), Tougaloo College (HHSN268201300048C), and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (HHSN268201300046C and HHSN268201300047C) contracts from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) and NR013520 from the National Institute of Nursing Research and P30-AG-015281 from the National Institute on Aging.
• Keywords: CHROMOSOME-2; SODIUM-BICARBONATE COTRANSPORTER; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; blood pressure; GENOME-SCAN; discrimination; SLC4A5; ASSOCIATION; Science & Technology; gene-environment interaction; IDENTIFICATION; SALT SENSITIVITY; African American; General & Internal Medicine; RACIAL-DISCRIMINATION; black populations; POLYMORPHISMS; HYPERTENSION; Medicine, General & Internal
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Biology, Bioinformatics

Abstract

Both genomics and environmental stressors play a significant role in increases in blood pressure (BP). In an attempt to further explain the hypertension (HTN) disparity among African Americans (AA), both genetic underpinnings (selected candidate genes) and stress due to perceived racial discrimination (as reported in the literature) have independently been linked to incr eased BP among AAs. Although Gene x Environment interactions on BP have been examined, the environmental component of these investigations has focused more on lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, diet, and physical activity, and less on psychosocial stressors such as perceived discrimination. The present study uses candidate gene analyses to identify the relationship between Everyday Discrimination (ED) and Major Life Discrimination (MLD) with increases in systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) among AA in the Jackson Heart Study. Multiple linear regression models reveal no association between discrimination and BP after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), antihypertensive medication use, and current smoking status. Subsequent candidate gene analysis identified 5 SNPs (rs7602215, rs3771724, rs1006502, rs1791926, and rs2258119) that interacted with perceived discrimination and SBP, and 3 SNPs (rs2034454, rs7602215, and rs3771724) that interacted with perceived discrimination and DBP. Most notably, there was a significant SNP×discrimination interaction for 2 SNPs on the SLC4A5 gene: rs3771724 (MLD: SBP P =.034, DBP P =.031; ED: DBP: P =.016) and rs1006502 (MLD: SBP P=.034, DBP P=.030; ED: DBP P=.015). This study supports the idea that SNP×discrimination interactions combine to influence clinically relevant traits such as BP. Replication with similar epidemiological samples is required to ascertain the role of genes and psychosocial stressors in the development and expression of high BP in this understudied population.