Serum calcium and the calcium-sensing receptor polymorphism rs17251221 in relation to coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and mortality: the Tromsø Study

• Published in: European Journal of Epidemiology
• Main Authors: Jorde, Rolf, Schirmer, Henrik, Njolstad, I., Loechen, Maja-Lisa, Mathiesen, E. B., Kamycheva, Elena, Figenschau, Yngve, Grimnes, Guri
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Springer Netherlands 2013
• Subjects: Calcium-sensing receptor; Cancer; Cardiovascular disease; Mortality; Prostate cancer; Serum calcium; Tromsø
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-013-9822-y

Serum calcium measured in 27,158 subjects in 1994 and the calcium-sensing receptor polymorphism rs17251221 genotyped in 9,404 subjects were related to cardiovascular risk factors, incident myocardial infarction (MI), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), cancer and death during follow-up until 2008–2010. In a Cox regression model with adjustment for age, gender, smoking and body mass index, subjects with serum calcium 2.50–2.60 mmol/L had a significantly increased risk of incident MI [n = 1,802, hazards ratio (HR) 1.40, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.18, 1.66] and T2DM (n = 705, HR 1.49, 95 % CI 1.15, 1.94) and a significantly reduced risk of cancer (n = 2,222, HR 0.73, 95 % CI 0.62, 0.86) as compared to subjects with serum calcium 2.20–2.29 mmol/L. For rs17251221 there was a mean difference in serum calcium of 0.05 mmol/L between major and minor homozygote genotypes. No consistent, significant relation between rs17251221 and risk factors or the major hard endpoints were found. The minor homozygote genotype (high serum calcium) had a significant twofold increased risk (HR 2.32, 95 % CI 1.24, 4.36) for prostate cancer, as compared to the major homozygote. This may be clinically important if confirmed in other cohorts.