title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism in Kuwaiti children with retinopathy of prematurity.
abstract: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disease characterized by neovascularization which occurs in infants with short gestational age and low birth weight and can lead to retinal detachment and blindness. In a proportion of ROP cases, the disease progresses to advanced stages despite rigorous intervention. The genotypes for angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism were determined in 181 premature Kuwaiti infants using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The incidence of different I/D genotypes was compared in ROP cases (n = 74) and non-ROP controls (n = 107) and within 2 subgroups of ROP patients: (1) in which ROP regressed spontaneously (stages 1-3, n = 53), and (2) in which ROP progressed to advanced stages (stages 4 and 5, n = 21). When the ROP cases were considered collectively as one group, the incidence of the DD genotype was almost identical to that of non-ROP controls. The incidence of heterozygous ID genotype was higher in non-ROP controls. The incidence of the II genotype was higher in ROP cases compared to non-ROP controls (p < 0.01). In contrast to this, when ROP cases were divided in 2 subgroups the incidence of the DD genotype was significantly higher in advanced stage ROP cases compared to spontaneously regressing ROP cases (p < 0.04). The incidences of ID and II genotypes were not significantly different amongst the 2 subgroups of ROP patients.
authors.affiliation: Paediatrics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait. haider@hsc.kuniv.edu.kw
authors.forename: M Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Haider
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Devarajan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Essa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007730:Kuwait; D008297:Male; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A