Genetic polymorphisms of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) are associated with functional dyspepsia in Japanese women

Background: Prostaglandins (PGs), catalyzed from arachidonic acid by cyclooxygenase (COX), are involved in a variety of physiological processes in the stomach. COX-1 has been regarded as a constitutively expressed enzyme that generates prostaglandins for gastrointestinal integrity. We investigated the association between the potentially functional polymorphism T-1676C in the COX-1 gene promoter and functional dyspepsia (FD) in the Japanese population. Methods: The study was performed in 272 subjects (185 with no upper abdominal symptoms and 87 with FD). We employed the PCR-SSCP method to detect the gene polymorphism. Results: Overall, female sex had a 2-2.5-fold risk for the development of FD compared with male sex, whereas the COX-1 gene polymorphism and Helicobacter pylori infection were not associated with susceptibility to FD. However, in female subjects, -1676T allele carriers had a significantly increased risk for the development of FD (OR 2.70, 95%CI 1.04-6.99, p = 0.041), especially the epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) subgroup (OR 4.07, 95%CI 1.15-14.4, p = 0.029). Conclusions: Our results provide the first evidence that the COX-1 gene polymorphism is significantly associated with the development of the EPS subgroup of FD in female subjects.