SAA1 and cardiovascular disorder: In previous studies, we observed that the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12218 in the SAA1 gene was associated with increased carotid artery intima – media thickness (IMT) values [15] and decreased HDL-C levels [16] and Ankle-to-Brachial Index [17], which are considered to be risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).