Replication of the association between a chromosome 9p21 polymorphism and coronary artery disease in Japanese and Korean populations

Coronary artery disease (CAD) has become a major health problem in many countries. Recent genome-wide association studies have identified the association between rs1333049 on chromosome 9p21 and susceptibility to CAD in Caucasoid populations. In this study, we evaluated the associations of rs1333049 with CAD in Japanese (604 patients and 1,151 controls) and Koreans (679 patients and 706 controls). We found a significant association in both Japanese [odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI); 1.13–1.49, p = 0.00027, allele count model] and Koreans (OR = 1.19, 95% CI; 1.02–1.38, p = 0.025, allele count model). These observations demonstrated that chromosome 9p21 was the susceptibility locus for CAD also in East Asians.