OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to evaluate the relation of parentalhistory of hypertension to the development of PIH, and to assess the potential role of plausible candidateloci in the susceptibility to PIH. STUDY DESIGN: Five polymorphisms: ACE gene I/D and Pst1 RFLP polymorphism,AGT gene M235T polymorphism, AGTR1 gene A1166C polymorphism, and chymase gene CMA/B polymorphism werestudied in 126 women suffering from PIH in comparison with 150 healthy pregnant women. Genotyping wasperformed using methods based on polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Among the PIH patients, positiveparental history of hypertension (hypertension in both parents, in mother alone or in father alone) wassignificantly more frequent than in healthy pregnant women. Having a hypertensive father or mother statisticallysignificantly increased the risk of PIH (odds ratio 4.34, 95% CI, 1.86-10.13, and 2.33, 95% CI, 1.29-4.12respectively). CC genotype was significantly more frequent in women with PIH as compared with healthycontrols and the C allele frequency was also significantly higher among the cases compared to controls.Having a CC genotype increased the risk of development of PIH 2.74 times (95% CI, 1.08-6.97). We observedno significant differences in genotype distributions or the allele frequencies of other examined polymorphisms.CONCLUSION: On the basis of the results of our study, we may suggest that AGTR1 gene A1166C polymorphismmay predispose women to the development of PIH. It seems that ACE gene I/D and Pst1 RFLP polymorphism,AGT gene M235T polymorphism, and finally chymase gene CMA/B polymorphism do not play any significantrole in the pathogenesis of PIH in Caucasian women.

Keywords: Adolescent, DNA, Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific, European Continental Ancestry Group, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genomic Imprinting, Genotype, Hypertension, Nuclear Family, Poland, Polymorphism, Genetic, Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular, Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1, Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 2, Receptors, Angiotensin, Reference Values, Risk Factors, Serine Endopeptidases