Lack of an association between angiotensin-converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism and ischaemic stroke.
OBJECTIVE
Numerous factors have been reported to influence the pathogenesis of stroke. The angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene is a candidate gene for atherosclerotic-related diseases. In the present study, the association between the polymorphism of the ACE gene and ischaemic stroke was investigated.


METHODS
Using polymerase chain reaction techniques, 100 patients (48 males, age 69.3 +/- 9.7 years) with cerebral infarction and 100 age- and sex-matched controls were divided into the following three ACE genotypes [deletion (D) and insertion (I)]: II, ID and DD.


RESULTS
There was no evidence of any association between the ACE gene polymorphism and the presence of ischaemic stroke (odds ratio 0.874, 95% confidence interval 0.386-1.973).


CONCLUSIONS
The DD genotype in the human ACE gene does not appear to be a risk factor for ischaemic stroke. Further evaluation in a larger population study is required to examine the possibility of an increased risk of ischaemic stroke in DD homozygotes.
Second Propedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. astkar@med.auth.gr
Asterios
A
Karagiannis
Katerina
K
Balaska
Konstantinos
K
Tziomalos
Laokratia
L
Tokalaki-Nikolaidou
Athanasios
A
Papayeoryiou
Chrysanthos
C
Zamboulis
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A