Association between Genes for Inflammatory Factors and Neuroticism, Anxiety, and Depression in Men with Ischemic Heart Disease

Objectives. To study the relationship between the immune system and depression, as well as its endophenotypes (neuroticism and trait anxiety), in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). Materials and methods. Studies were performed in a group of men with IHD and depression (78 patients) and without depression (91 patients), as well as in healthy male volunteers (127 subjects). Polymorphisms of the interleukin-4 (IL-4 –589C/T), interleukin-6 (IL-6 –174G/C), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α –308G/A), and C-reactive protein (CRP –717A/G) genes were studied. Results. An association between the IL-6 –174G/C polymorphism with depression comorbid with IHD was found (p = 0.01, OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.2–4.3), which was apparent as an increase in the frequency of the highly expressed G allele in the group of patients with depression. The IL-4 –589C/T polymorphism was associated with IHD: the frequency of the CC IL-4 –589C/T genotype was greater in this group of patients than in the control group regardless of the presence of depression (p = 0.007, OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.2–3.4). The TNF-α –308G/A and CRP –717A/G polymorphisms were not associated with depression in IHD. There were no signifi cant differences in the expression of neuroticism or trait anxiety in carriers of different genotypes at the IL-4 –589C/T, IL-6 –174G/C, TNF-α –308G/A, or CRP –717A/G loci. Conclusions. The association between the IL-6 –174G/C polymorphism with depression comorbid with IHD is consistent with published data on the role of IL-6 in the depression of depression in cardiology patients.