The Glu298Asp polymorphism may contribute to the complex pathogenesis of essential hypertension and may be a factor in the resistance of these patients to conventional antihypertensive therapy.
Given the evidence of positive association of another polymorphism in the eNOS gene, the Glu298Asp polymorphism, with essential hypertension, special attention will be required to interpret the results of a case-control study for genetic risk factors.
Significant association between a Glu298Asp polymorphism of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene and essential hypertension was recently reported in Japanese populations, with the 298Asp variant showing a higher prevalence in hypertensive patients (10.3% to 12.0%) than in normotensive subjects (5.0% to 5.8%).
In conclusion, the Glu298Asp missense variant was significantly associated with essential hypertension, which suggests that it is a genetic susceptibility factor for essential hypertension.