RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: This meta-analysis was prepared to synthesize published data on the association of two polymorphisms (T45G and G276T) in adiponectin-encoding gene (ADIPOQ) with hypertension risk and the changes of circulating adiponectin and blood pressure. Methodology and Major Findings: Data were collected and corrected by two authors, and were managed with Stata software. In total, 12 articles were synthesized, including 12 studies (3358 cases and 5121 controls) for the association of two study polymorphisms with hypertension risk and 11 studies (3053 subjects) for the between-genotype changes of adiponectin and/or blood pressure. Based on all qualified studies, the risk prediction for hypertension was nonsignificant for both polymorphisms, with significant heterogeneity for G276T polymorphism (I2 = 53.8%). Overall changes in adiponectin and blood pressure were also nonsignificant for T45G, while contrastingly 276GT genotype was associated with significantly higher levels of adiponectin (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 0.72 µg/mL, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.04 to 1.41, P = 0.038), systolic (WMD = 5.15 mm Hg, 95% CI: 0.98 to 9.32, P = 0.016) and diastolic (WMD = 3.45 mm Hg, 95% CI: 0.37 to 6.53, P = 0.028) blood pressure with evident heterogeneity (I2 = 72.0%, 78.3% and 80.0%, respectively), and these associations were more obvious in hypertensive patients. Publication bias was a low probability event for overall comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that in spite of the nonsignificant association between ADIPOQ T45G or G276T polymorphism and hypertension, the heterozygous mutation of G276T was observed to account for increased levels of circulating adiponectin and blood pressure, especially in hypertensive patients.