MicroRNA-146a polymorphism is not associated with cardiovascular disease in the elderly

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) figure among the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality in the world and, among genetic factors, the literature has demonstrated the crucial role of miRNAs and the relationship of physical activity with this pathology. Objective: To investigate the relationship between the functional capacity of exercise, the level of physical activity, and the polymorphism in the miRNA-146a gene in elderly individuals with and without cardiovascular disease. Methods: This study, developed in a city in the southern region of Brazil, is characterized as cross-sectional. The sample for this study comprised 342 participants, aged  60 or over. The following aspects were analyzed: anthropometric characteristics, genetic profiles, diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, functional capacity, and the level of physical activity. Results: A statistically significant association was observed between Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the body mass index (BMI) (א²= 14.278; p=0.0003), and 40.6% of elderly individuals with CVD were obese, while 31.5% of the normally developed elderly participants presented normal BMI. However, the genotype frequencies (p = 0.546; א²=1.211) and 6MWT (p=0.311; א²=1.025) did not show a statistically significant association with CVD. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the polymorphism in the miRNA-146A (rs2910164) and functional capacity are not associated with cardiovascular disease in the elderly. However, the BMI did demonstrate an association with this disease.