Association of genetic variants with hemorrhagic stroke in Japanese individuals

Although genetic epidemiological studies have implicated several genetic variants as risk factors for hemorrhagic stroke, the genetic determinants of this condition remain largely unknown. We examined an association of genetic variants with intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage among Japanese individuals. The study population comprised 4,304 unrelated Japanese individuals, including 377 subjects with intracerebral hemorrhage, 205 subjects with subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 3,722 controls. The 150 polymorphisms examined in the present study were selected by genome-wide association studies of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction with the use of the GeneChip Human Mapping 500K Array Set. The chi-square test, multivariable logistic regression analysis with adjustment for covariates, as well as a stepwise forward selection procedure revealed that the C↷T polymorphism (rs1324694) of ERLIN1, the C↷T polymorphism (rs12679196) of TRAPPC9, and the G↷T polymorphism (rs16936752) of WNK2 were significantly (P<0.05) associated with the prevalence of intracerebral hemorrhage, and that the A↷G polymorphism (rs3111754) of ITM2C and the A↷G polymorphism (rs10986769) of MAPKAP1 were significantly associated with the prevalence of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Genotypes for ERLIN1, TRAPPC9, and WNK2 may prove informative for assessment of the genetic risk for intracerebral hemorrhage, and those for ITM2C and MAPKAP1 may be beneficial in assessment of the genetic risk for subarachnoid hemorrhage in Japanese individuals.