title: Influence of angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D gene polymorphism on clinical and histological correlates of chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: DPMSC, Medical Liver Transplant Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fabris
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smirne
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fangazio
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Toniutto
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burlone
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Minisini
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bitetto
authors.forename: Edmondo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Falleti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cerutti
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pirisi