Leptin Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and the Risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Coronary Atherosclerosis in the Chinese Han Population

Background: leptin receptor (lepr) polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with lipid metabolism and insulin resistance in various populations. however, whether lepr polymorphisms are associated with the risks of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (nafld) and coronary atherosclerosis in the chinese han population remains unknown. objectives: to investigate the association of lepr polymorphisms at q223r and k109r with the risks of nafld and coronary atherosclerosis in the chinese han population. patients and methods: genotypes of leprq223r and k109r were determined by polymerase chain reaction followed by sequencing in patients with nafld (n = 554), coronary atherosclerosis (n = 421), and healthy controls (n = 550). serum lipid profiles were determined using biochemical methods. pearson’s x^2 test was used to check for hardy-weinberg equilibrium and to analyze the distributions of genotypes’ alleles between groups. baseline characteristics were analyzed using student’s t-test, paired-samples t-test, or the x^2 test where appropriate. results: the leprq223r a allele significantly reduced the risks of both nafld and coronary atherosclerosis (or = 0.683, 95% ci: 0.527 - 0.884, p = 0.004 and or= 0.724, 95% ci: 0.548 - 0.955, p = 0.022, respectively). compared to controls, no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of k109r were found in the nafld and coronary atherosclerosis populations, respectively. however, there was a significantly increased risk of coronary atherosclerosis in nafld patients who carried the k109r a allele (or = 2.283, 95% ci: 1.556 - 3.348, p < 0.001). conclusions: lepr q223r polymorphisms may confer a significant risk of nafld and coronary atherosclerosis. the a allele in the k109r polymorphism might be considered an independent risk factor for coronary atherosclerosis in nafld patients.