Abstract Evidence suggests that polymorphisms in the
gene encoding a
vitamin D receptor might
affect blood pressure. The objective of this
systematic review was to investigate the
association between
hypertension and
vitamin D receptor (Fok I)
gene polymorphism. A
literature search was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines using the
MEDLINE®/
PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane
Library CENTRAL, SciELO, and
LILACS databases. The quality of case-control or
cohort studies and studies based on cross-sectional
methodology was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the protocol of Loney and coauthors [25], respectively. In this systematic
literature search, 215
publications were identified, of which 10 were analyzed, including seven
case-control studies, two
cross-sectional studies, and one
cohort study. The
association between Fok I polymorphism and
hypertension was reported in 60% of the
publications and the
risk for
hypertension was shown to be related to FF and ff
genotypes. In addition, Fok I polymorphism was shown to increase
plasma renin activity, which
plays an important
role in regulating
blood pressure. However, no
association was observed between Fok I polymorphism and
serum vitamin D levels. In conclusion, Fok I polymorphism
plays an important
role in
hypertension.