LACK OF ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INSERTION DELETION POLYMORPHISM OF THE ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING ENZYME GENE AND END-STAGE HEART-FAILURE DUE TO ISCHEMIC OR IDIOPATHIC DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY IN THE CHINESE/

Homozygosity for the deletion allele of the angiotensin-converting enz yme gene (DD) has been associated with a variety of cardiovascular dis eases, including ischemic and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, in Ca ucasians. In this study of 104 Chinese patients with end-stage heart f ailure due to idiopathic dilated or ischemic cardiomyopathy, the DD ge notype frequency was low (12% and 11%, respectively) and was not seen more often than in a control group of 183 subjects without cardiac dis ease (13%). Therefore, in the Chinese, the DD genotype is less common than in Caucasians and does not appear to be associated with the devel opment of either ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.