Relationship between personal anxiety and genes associated with eating disorders in women aged 45-64

Aim. To study the possible relationship between personal anxiety and polymorphic variants of genes associated with eating disorders (rs17782313 MC4R, rs1800497 DRD2, rs9939609 FTO) in women aged 45-64 in Novosibirsk.

Material and methods. A random representative sample of women aged 45-64 years (n=1074, mean age, 54,27±0,2 years) was examined in 2003-2005 at the Research Institute of Internal and Preventive Medicine, a branch of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, within the Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial Factors In Eastern Europe (HAPIEE) project. Personal anxiety was assessed using the Spielberger self-assessment questionnaire included in the protocol of the Multinational Monitoring of Trends and Determinants of Cardiovascular Disease — Optional Psychosocial Study (MONICA-MOPSY), tested at screenings of the World Health Organization (WHO) MONICA program in 1983-1995. The sample for the HAPIEE program was formed at the program data processing center in Prague for each of the collaborating centers in such a way that each respondent was random. From the sample, every second woman (n=537) was selected for genotyping of the FTO rs9939609 variant (n=384); every third woman (n=358) — for genotyping the MC4R rs17782313 (n=279) and DRD2 rs1800497 variants (n=327). Genotyping was performed in the laboratory of molecular genetic studies by the polymerase chain reaction with the analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Results. Among women aged 45-64, anxiety was detected in 58,3%, and in 15,9% of women the anxiety level was high. The homozygous genotype C/C rs17782313 of the MC4R gene was more common among women with high anxiety levels (17,5%) than among women with low and moderate anxiety levels (1,8 and 0,8%, respectively; p=0,001). There were no significant differences in the detection rate of the rs1800497 genotypes of the DRD2 gene among women with different levels of anxiety (p>0,05). The frequency of the A/A rs9939609 genotype of the FTO gene was highest among women with high anxiety levels — 29,5%, compared to participants with low and moderate anxiety levels (15 and 15,3%, respectively; p=0,048). The probability of anxiety among carriers of the C/C+C/T genotypes of the MC4R gene was 1,29 times higher than among carriers of the T/T genotype (p=0,001). Among carriers of the A/A rs9939609 genotype of the FTO gene, the anxiety probability was 2,34 times higher than among carriers of the A/T+T/T genotypes (p=0,008).

Conclusion. The association between anxiety and genes of eating disorders dictates the need for diagnosis and subsequent treatment of anxiety and its associated consequences.

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