The association of adenosine deaminase with coronary artery disease: Effect of gender and diabetes

An association between ADA1 and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) has been observed in Polish and in Italian populations but in Italian population the association was present in males only. In order to enlighten these differences we have carried out a collaborative study in the two populations. In Italy 215 subjects admitted to the Hospital for CAD, 275 subjects with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) without CAD and 398 healthy newborns were studied. In Poland 173 subjects with CAD and 200 healthy newborns were studied. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects or from their mothers to participate to the study that was approved by the I.R.B. ADA1 polymorphism was determined by DNA analysis. Three way contingency table analysis was performed by a log linear model. The association between CAD and ADA1 is present in non diabetic male subjects only: OR = 0.195, p = 0.007 in the Italian population and OR = 0.163, p = 0.004 in the Polish population. The data suggest a significant role of immunological mechanisms in the pathogenesis of CAD without diabetes. Gender differences in immune diseases could explain the lack of association in females.