Polymorphisms of the fibrinogen-beta gene are related to 2-hour glucose level after oral glucose tolerance test in Hong Kong Chinese

Fibrinogen, an acute phase protein, is an important inflammatory marker that is associated with cardiovascular diseases. We studied the association of three common human fibrinogen-β gene (FGB) variants, -455G>A, -249C>T, and -148C>T with glycemic parameters in 265 non-diabetic Hong Kong Chinese subjects. Both FGB variants, -455G>A and -148C>T were in complete linkage disequilibrium and were associated with higher levels of plasma fibrinogen and 2-h glucose after a 75-g oral glucose load (p<0.01). Carriers of FGB AC-haplotype, comprising the two nucleotide variants at positions -455 and -249, had higher fibrinogen level (2.64 ± 0.65 vs 2.42 ± 0.52 g/L, p=0.002) and 2-h glucose after a 75-g oral glucose load (5.87 ± 1.14 vs 5.47 ± 1.22 g/L, p=0.006). The associations were significant in men, but not women. In stepwise multiple regression analysis, AC-haplotype was independently associated with plasma fibrinogen level and 2-h glucose (p=0.002 and 0.010 respectively). This suggests that fibrinogen may play a role in the development of impaired glucose tolerance.