title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion gene polymorphism and progression of Chagas' cardiomyopathy.
abstract: Chagas' disease is common in Latin America and is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. It is usually associated with chronic cardiomyopathy, the progression of which could be related to genetic factors. As alterations in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system have been reported in the disease, the aim of this study was to determine whether associated genetic polymorphisms influence the development of myocardial damage. The study involved 125 patients who were divided into two groups according to whether they had mild or severe cardiomyopathy. The insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene was investigated using standard techniques and results were correlated with disease stage. The genotypes were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. After adjusting for demographic variables, no significant relationship was found between the polymorphism and progression of chronic Chagas' disease. Although our sample was limited, the results suggest that the progression of cardiomyopathy in chronic Chagas' disease is unrelated to the insertion/deletion polymorphism.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Bioquímica Dr. José Antonio Moreno Yanes, Decanato de Ciencias de la Salud Dr. Pablo Acosta Ortiz, Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado, 3001 Barquisimeto, Lara State, Venezuela. carminepl@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pascuzzo-Lima
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mendible
authors.forename: Rafael A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bonfante-Cabarcas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002598:Chagas Cardiomyopathy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A