The relationship between ACE gene insertion/deletion polymorphism and diabetic retinopathy in Iranian patients with type 2 diabetes.
BACKGROUND
The role of genetic factors in diabetic retinopathy (DR) is unclear. We investigated the relationship between DR and an insertion/deletion polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene in Iranian patients with type 2 diabetes without overt nephropathy.


METHODS
A total of 178 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients with DR (Group A) and 206 type 2 diabetic patients without DR (Group B) were studied. The following variables were determined: age, sex, body mass index, diabetes duration, medications used, history of coronary artery disease and its complications, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipoproteins, triglycerides, plasma creatinine, and 24-h urine albumin excretion.


RESULTS
The groups were statistically similar in all variables except diabetes duration (P = 0.037), ACE activity (P < 0.001), and ACE genotype (P = 0.008). The DD genotype was significantly more common in Group A (32.6% versus 19.2% in Group B; P = 0.009). In multivariate regression analysis, the ID genotype (compared to the II genotype) was an independent predictor of DR (OR = 1.831, 95% CI = 1.074-3.124; P = 0.026).


CONCLUSIONS
The D allele of the ACE gene is independently associated with DR in Iranian type 2 diabetic patients.
Nikzamir
Abdolrahim
A
Department of Biochemistry, Ahwaz Jondi Shapour University of Medical Sciences, Ahwaz, Iran.
Rashidi
Armin
A
Esteghamati
Alireza
A
Nakhjavani
Manouchehr
M
Golmohammadi
Taghi
T
Khalilzadeh
Omid
O
D000483:Alleles; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001824:Body Constitution; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
D001786:Blood Glucose; C488034:ACE protein, human; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A