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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

A Methodological Approach to Non-invasive Assessments of Vascular Function and Morphology
Published on: February 7, 2015
A functional polymorphism in the lymphotoxin-alpha gene is associated with carotid artery wall thickness: the
Yongmei Liu1, David Herrington, Kathryn P Burdon
1Departments of Public Health Sciences bInternal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Background:
The lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA) gene has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We tested for an association between a functional polymorphism, LTA 252A/G, and common carotid artery intima-media thickness in 1088 siblings from 435 Diabetes Heart Study families.
Methods:
Intima-media thickness was measured by high-resolution B-mode carotid ultrasonography. A MassARRAY system (Sequenom Inc., San Diego, California, USA) was used for genotyping.
Results:
The LTA 252G allele was positively associated with increased intima-media thickness (the odds ratio for the G allele carriers being in the top tertile of the intima-media thickness distribution was 1.41, P=0.04).
Conclusions:
The LTA 252A/G polymorphism is moderately associated with sub-clinical atherosclerosis.
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