POLYMORPHISM OF ANGIOTENSIN-I-CONVERTING- ENZYME IN PATIENTS WITH ESSENTIAL-HYPERTENSION, LEFT-VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY AND MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION AT YOUNG AGE - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

Insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of angiotensin-I-converting enzy me (ACE) gene was studied by use of the polymerase chain reaction in 1 68 normal subjects living in Moscow region and in 70 patients: 38 with essential hypertension (EH), 9 of which survived myocardial infarctio n at young age, 13 with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCMP) and 19 with myocardial infarction (MI). Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was de tected in 24 of 38 EH patients. There was a highly significant increas e in the frequency of the ID genotype in EH patients compared to the c ontrols (62.4% versus 32.7%, P < 0.01). There was a relevant decrease in the frequency of the DD genotype in EH patients in comparison with the control (20.8% versus 47.6%, P < 0.05). These results strongly sug gest that the ACE gene is associated with EH. No significant differenc es in both allele and genotype frequencies of the ACE gene were reveal ed in two groups of patients with MI and with HCMP compared to the con trols. Thus, no relations between the ACE gene and these disorders wer e observed. In hypertensives with MI the II genotype was not detected and the frequency of both D allele and DD genotype was sufficiently in creased compared to normotensive patients with MI. Thus, the DD genoty pe in hypertensives may be a risk factor for MI. The frequency of the DD genotype was significantly increased in hypertensive patients with LVH compared to the uncomplicated hypertension (37.5% versus 7.1%, P < 0.05). Therefore, this genotype is associated with LVH in hypertensiv e subjects.