Association of rs557675 polymorphism of the OVOL1 gene with elevated blood pressure in Chinese children and adolescents: a school-based case-control study

Elevated blood pressure (BP) in children and adolescents has become an increasing public health concern and may track into adulthood. The rs557675 polymorphism of the OVOL1 gene has been associated with blood pressure traits in genome-wide association studies, but it has rarely been examined in children and adolescents, particularly in China. We investigated the relationship between rs557675 polymorphism of the OVOL1 gene and elevated BP in Chinese children and adolescents and further evaluated the joint effects of genetic and environmental factors on elevated BP. A school-based study was conducted among children and adolescents aged 6–17 years from four schools in Zhangwu County, Liaoning Province, China. Elevated BP was classified according to the Chinese reference standards for children and adolescents, which define BP categories based on sex-, age-, and height-specific percentiles. Logistic regression analysis was performed in 4,616 participants to identify factors associated with elevated BP. From this cohort, 210 case-control pairs matched 1:1 by sex, age, and ethnicity were selected for genetic association analyses. The OVOL1 rs557675 polymorphism was genotyped using TaqMan probe assays. Associations between rs557675 and elevated BP were evaluated under multiple genetic models. Interaction analyses were conducted to assess the joint effects of genetic and environmental factors on elevated BP. High body mass index (BMI) levels were associated with higher odds of elevated BP. In the matched case-control analysis, rs557675 was significantly associated with elevated BP, and participants carrying the GG genotype had higher odds of elevated BP than participants carrying the TT genotype (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 3.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.87–5.62, P < 0.001). No statistically significant additive or multiplicative interaction between rs557675 and obesity was observed. Our findings suggest that the OVOL1 rs557675 polymorphism was significantly associated with elevated BP in Chinese children and adolescents, with the G allele associated with higher odds of elevated BP. These findings extend the evidence for this BP-related locus to a pediatric population; however, no statistically significant interaction between rs557675 and obesity was observed.