title: Association of the insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene in patients of migraine with aura.
abstract: Recently, several angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and an angiotensin II receptor blocker were demonstrated to have a clinically important prophylactic effect in migraine. ACE is one of the key enzymes in the rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which modulates vascular tension and blood pressure. In humans, serum ACE levels are strongly genetically determined. Individuals who were homozygous for the deletion (D) allele showed increased ACE activity levels. To investigate the role of ACE polymorphism in headache, we analyzed the ACE insertion (I)/deletion (D) genotypes of 54 patients suffering from migraine with aura (MwA), 122 from migraine without aura, 78 from tension-type headache (TH), and 248 non-headache healthy controls. The ACE D allele were significantly more frequent in the MwA than controls (p<0.01). The incidence of the D/D genotype in MwA (25.9%) was significantly higher than that in controls (12.5%; p<0.01; odds ratio=5.26, 95% confidence interval: 1.69-16.34, adjusted for age and gender). No differences in the remaining groups were found. Our results support the conclusion that the D allele and the D/D genotype in the ACE gene is a genetic risk factor for Japanese MwA. There seems to be a possible relationship between ACE activity and the pathogenesis of migraine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago, 683-8504, Japan. norkowa@grape.med.tottori-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hisanori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kowa
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fusayasu
authors.forename: Tamami
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ijiri
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishizaki
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasui
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakaso
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kusumi
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeshima
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020325:Migraine with Aura / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D016017:Odds Ratio; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: C488034:ACE protein, human; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A