Lack of association between the insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene and vasospastic angina.
OBJECTIVE
It has been suggested that the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene is an independent risk factor for coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction, but its relation to vasospastic angina has not been fully proven. In the present study, we investigated the possible relationship between the ACE I/D genotype and vasospastic angina.


METHODS
We explored the distribution of the ACE genotype in 20 patients with vasospastic angina without fixed coronary artery stenosis, 55 angina patients with fixed coronary artery stenosis, and 30 control subjects without coronary artery disease.


RESULTS
The frequency of the DD genotype in patients with vasospastic angina (DD: 30.0%, ID: 20.0%, II: 50.0%) did not differ from that in the control subjects (DD: 23.3%, ID: 26.7%, II: 50.0%), while the frequency in patients with coronary artery stenosis (DD: 43.7%, ID: 21.8%, II: 34.5%) was significantly higher than that in the control subjects. The frequency of the D allele also did not differ between patients with vasospastic angina (0.40) and control subjects (0.37), while the frequency was significantly higher in patients with coronary artery stenosis (0.55).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that the ACE DD genotype is a potent genetic risk factor for organic coronary artery disease, while it confers no appreciable increase in risk of vasospastic angina. These results also suggest the diversity of the pathogenesis of vascular lesions in these two types of coronary artery disease.
Kuroki
S
S
Department of Cardiology, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi, Japan.
Ikeda
U
U
Maeda
Y
Y
Sekiguchi
H
H
Shimada
K
K
D000368:Aged; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012307:Risk Factors
D017931:DNA Primers; D005819:Genetic Markers; D004247:DNA; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A