ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING ENZYME GENOTYPES IN THE HIGH-RISK AND LOW-RISKAREA FOR CORONARY HEART-DISEASE IN FINLAND

The deletion/deletion genotype of the insertion (I)/deletion (D) polym orphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been sugge sted to be a risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI). The objective of this study was to evaluate whether genotypic distributions of the I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene are different between individuals fro m high-risk and low-risk areas for coronary heart disease in the genet ically isolated population of Finland and to assess the impact of this genetic risk factor by comparing individuals with different parental histories of MI. Representative population-based samples of middle-age d men (n = 363) and women (n = 358) from two areas of Finland were use d. The area had a borderline significant effect on the prevalence of t he genotype DD (beta = 0.35, SE = 0.16, chi(2) = 4.70, df = 1, P = 0.0 3), the DD genotype being more prevalent in eastern Finland (the high- risk area). The II genotype was more prevalent in women with parental history of MT, so we could not replicate the previous findings of the risk-increasing effect of DD genotype in this sample. Although the obs erved difference in the ACE DD genotype between the high-risk and low- risk areas for coronary heart disease might represent one of the genet ic factors contributing to the difference in risk of coronary heart di sease between eastern and southwestern Finland, the data emphasize the fact that also other risk factors, including other genes, contribute to this difference and the high incidence of MI in Finland. (C) 1995 W iley-Liss, Inc.