Association of angiotensin converting enzyme activity and arterial blood pressure in a population-based sample.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between circulating angiotensin converting enzyme activity and arterial blood pressure in a population-based sample of 646 middle-aged subjects.


RESULTS
After exclusion of subjects taking antihypertensive medication and those with electrocardiographic evidence of myocardial infarction, univariate analyses revealed that systolic blood pressure was significantly correlated with age and with body mass index. Also, angiotensin converting enzyme activity in men (n = 230) was found to be related both to systolic and to diastolic blood pressure. Inclusion of all of the men slightly strengthened the association between angiotensin converting enzyme activity and systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Multilinear regression models that included age, body mass index and antihypertensive therapy as obligatory covariates confirmed an independent correlation between angiotensin converting enzyme activity and systolic or diastolic blood pressure in the men. Furthermore, untreated men from the highest quartile of angiotensin converting enzyme activity displayed significantly higher mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure values than did those from lower quartiles, even after adjustment for covariates. In contrast, untreated women (n = 264) displayed no evidence for such associations between angiotensin converting enzyme activity and blood pressure.


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest that the variability of serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity occurring in this large population-based sample might be related to the level of arterial blood pressure levels in men.
Schunkert
H
H
Klinik für innere Medizin II, Universität Regensburg, Germany.
Hense
H W
HW
Muscholl
M
M
Luchner
A
A
Riegger
G A
GA
D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000097:blood*
D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A