ACE DD genotype: a predisposing factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the role of polymorphisms in angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE, I/D) and angiotensin II receptor (AT1R, A1166C) in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).


METHODS
We investigated 250 consecutive patients, 217 males and 33 females (median age 72, range 50-83), undergone AAA elective repair and 250 healthy controls, comparable for sex and age. ACE and AT1R polymorphisms were studied by PCR-RFLP analysis. The genotype distribution was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for all polymorphisms.


RESULTS
The genotype distribution and allele frequency of ACE I/D, but not AT1R A1166C polymorphism were significantly different between patients and controls (ACE I/D: p=0.0002 and p<0.0001, respectively, and AT1R A1166C: p=0.6 and p=0.4, respectively). An association between the ACE DD genotype and the predisposition to AAA was found (OR DD vs. ID+II=1.9 95% CI 1.3-2.9, p<0.0001). Multivariate analysis adjusted for age, sex, traditional vascular risk factors and other atherosclerotic localizations, showed ACE DD genotype to be independently related to the disease (OR DD vs. ID+II=2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.2 p=0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings document that ACE DD genotype represents a susceptibility factor for AAA.
Fatini
C
C
Department of Clinical and Surgical Critical Care, Thrombosis Centre, Degenerative and Neoplastic Diseases to Develop Novel Therapies, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Pratesi
G
G
Sofi
F
F
Gensini
F
F
Sticchi
E
E
Lari
B
B
Pulli
R
R
Dorigo
W
W
Azas
L
L
Pratesi
C
C
Gensini
G F
GF
Abbate
R
R
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D015984:Causality; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011945:Receptors, Angiotensin / Q000235:genetics*
D011945:Receptors, Angiotensin; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A