RANTES 59029A/G Polymorphisms Associated with Diabetic Compilations in Korean Patients with Type 2 Diabetes for over 15 Years

Polymorphisms in the RANTES gene are known to be associated with several diseases related to insulin resistance. In this study, we investigated the association between RANTES 59029A/G polymorphisms and the prevalence of diabetic complications relative to obesity in Korean patients who had type 2 diabetes (T2D) for over 15 years. A single-center, retrospective case-control study was performed. We included 271 patients with a duration of diabetes greater than 15 years. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to analyze RANTES polymorphisms, identifying genotypes as GG, AG, or AA. Obesity was defined using the body mass index with a cutoff value of 25 kg/m . Both microvascular (retinopathy and nephropathy) and macrovascular (coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease) complications were evaluated. The duration of T2D and hemoglobin A1c values at enrollment were 24.4 ± 5.0 years and 7.8 ± 1.6%, respectively, in the non-obese group, and 25.4 ± 6.1 years and 7.7 ± 1.7%, respectively, in the obese group. The prevalence of microvascular complications was significantly higher in the obese group compared with that in the non-obese group (83.5% vs. 72.0%, = 0.039). Compared to the non-obese group, the obese group showed a higher proportion of the patients with AA or AG genotypes (64.3% vs. 84.5%, = 0.001). The A allele of the RANTES gene is associated with obesity and may affect diabetic microvascular complications in patients with T2D for over 15 years.