Abstract
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.