All issues > Volume 52(1); 2009

Original Article

Korean J Pediatr. 2009;52(1):87-92. Published online January 15, 2009.

The relationship between catechol-O-methyltransferase gene polymorphism and coronary artery abnormality in Kawasaki disease

Hyo Jin HJ Lee¹, Myung Sook MS Lee¹, Ji Sook JS Kim¹, Eun Ryoung ER Kim¹, Sung Wook SW Kang², Soo Kang SK Kim², Joo Ho JH Chun², Kyung Lim KL Yoon³, Mi Young MY Han⁴, Seong Ho SH Cha⁴

¹Department of Pediatrics, Sung-Ae General Hospital, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Pediatrics, Kohwang Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine, Kyunghee University, Seoul, Korea
³Department of Pediatrics, East-West Neo-medical Center, Kyunghee University, Seoul, Korea
⁴Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Kyunghee University, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence Eun Ryoung ER Kim ,Email: eunicu@hotmail.com

Abstract

Purpose
: Many gene polymorphisms are associated with coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease. Catechol-O- methyltransferase (COMT) plays an important role in the metabolism of catecholamines, catechol estrogen, and catechol drugs. Polymorphisms of the COMT gene are reported to be associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery abnormalities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between COMT gene polymorphisms and coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease patients.
Methods
: One hundred and one Korean children with Kawasaki disease and 306 healthy Korean control subjects were enrolled in this study. The polymorphisms of the COMT gene were analyzed by direct sequencing.
Results
: There were no differences in the genotype and allelic frequency of the rs4680 and rs769224 polymorphic sites between Kawasaki disease and control subjects. Further, no significant difference was found in the rs4680 polymorphism between patients with coronary artery abnormalities and patients without coronary artery abnormalities (codominant P=0.32, dominant P=0.74, recessive P=0.13). However, the distribution of the rs769224 polymorphism was significantly different between patients with coronary artery abnormalities and patients without coronary artery abnormalities (codominant P= 0.0077, dominant P=0.0021, recessive P=0.16).
Conclusion
: Our results indicate that the polymorphisms of the rs769224 gene might be related to the development of coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease.

Keywords :Mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, Kawasaki disease, Coronary artery disease, Genetic polymorphism, Catechol-O-Methyltransferase