INSERTION DELETION POLYMORPHISM IN INTRON-16 OF THE ACE GENE AND LEFT-VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY IN PATIENTS WITH END-STAGE RENAL-DISEASE/

We studied the relationship between polymorphism in intron 16 of the a ngiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene and left ventricular (LV) hype rtrophy in uremic patients treated with hemodialysis therapy. The LV p arameters were not different for age-, hematocrit-, and blood pressure -matched patients in DD, ID, and II genotype groups. The most importan t factor for LV hypertrophy was systolic blood pressure, which correla ted with the posterior wall thickness (r = 0.35; P = 0.001) and LV mas s index (LVMI; r = 0.23; P = 0.032), Among nonhypertensive patients, t he frequency of interventricular septum (IVS) hypertrophy (>12 mm) and hypertrophy in LVMI (>145 g/m(2)) was significantly greater in patien ts with the DD genotype than in I allele-positive (+) patients. The od ds rate for IVS hypertrophy was 5.04 (95% confidence interval, 1.15 to 24.8), These data suggest that the DD genotype of the ACE gene polymo rphism is a contributory factor for the development of LV hypertrophy in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), (C) 1998 by the Natio nal Kidney Foundation, Inc.