title: Association between the ACE insertion/deletion polymorphism and pterygium in Sardinian patients: a population based case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the study was to examine whether the insertion (I) and/or deletion (D) polymorphism of ACE confers susceptibility to primary pterygium in Sardinian patients in a case-control study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Polymorphism genotyping was performed by nested PCR using genomic DNA extracted from the whole peripheral blood of participants with (n=251) and without (n=260) pterygium. DD, ID and II genotype frequencies were: 48%, 39% and 13%, respectively, for patients with pterygium, and 15%, 40% and 44%, respectively, for the control group. A statistically significant difference was found between the pterygium and control groups for the ACE I/D polymorphism (p<0.001). Moreover, a statistically significant difference was found between the DD and II groups (p<0.01; OR=10.49; 95% CI 6.18 to 17.79), DD+ID versus II group (p<0.01; OR=5.23; 95% CI 3.37 to 8.13) and DD versus ID groups (p<0.01; OR=3.21; 95% CI 2.04 to 5.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Statistical analysis showed that the DD genotype is associated with an increased risk of developing pterygium, and with a good chance that the D allele may play an important role in the development of disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari Medical School, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Demurtas
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Germano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Orrù
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierpaolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coni
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Minerba
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari Medical School, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corrias
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari Medical School, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sirigu
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Ignazio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zucca
authors.affiliation: Sant'Anna Surgery Clinic, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Demurtas
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari Medical School, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maxia
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari Medical School, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piras
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari Medical School, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Murtas
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari Medical School, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari Medical School, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Perra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006801:Humans; D054643:INDEL Mutation; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics*; D011625:Pterygium / Q000235:genetics*; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C488034:ACE protein, human; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
keywords: OPHTHALMOLOGY