Influence of angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D gene polymorphism on clinical and histological correlates of chronic hepatitis C.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to verify the relationship between the insertion-deletion (I/D) polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and clinical and histological correlates of chronic hepatitis C.


METHODS
Two-hundred and fifty-eight, treatment naive, unselected hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA-positive patients and 210 controls were studied. ACE allelic variants were determined by polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
Mean staging scores adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI) and alcohol consumption were: men, D/* = 2.283; men, I/I = 2.092; women, D/* = 2.241; and women, I/I = 3.283 (P = 0.028). Age-adjusted mean BMI were: men, D/* = 25.01; men, I/I = 24.87; women, D/* = 23.73; and women, I/I = 22.50 (P = 0.006). Age and BMI-adjusted mean low-density lipoprotein (LDL)/ high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratios were: men, D/* = 2.344; men, I/I = 2.283; women, D/* = 1.916; and women, I/I = 1.903 (P = 0.004). Histological grading correlated positively with triglycerides and negatively with HDL and LDL cholesterol (P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Female ACE I/I homozygotes have higher liver fibrosis scores in comparison to D/* women and to men; moreover, they are leaner and have a lower LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio. These observations suggest a possible mutual influence between ACE polymorphism, serum lipid concentrations and outcome of chronic HCV infection.
Fabris
Carlo
C
DPMSC, Medical Liver Transplant Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Udine, Italy.
Smirne
Carlo
C
Fangazio
Stefano
S
Toniutto
Pierluigi
P
Burlone
Michela
M
Minisini
Rosalba
R
Bitetto
Davide
D
Falleti
Edmondo
E
Cerutti
Andrea
A
Pirisi
Mario
M