A population study of ethnic variations in the angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D polymorphism: relationships with gender, hypertension and impaired glucose metabolism
Ga. Sagnella et al., A population study of ethnic variations in the angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D polymorphism: relationships with gender, hypertension and impaired glucose metabolism, J HYPERTENS, 17(5), 1999, pp. 657-664
Citations number
51
Categorie Soggetti
Cardiovascular & Respiratory Systems","Cardiovascular & Hematology Research
Background The presence of the deletion allele of the angiotensin-convertin
g enzyme (ACE) I/D polymorphism is associated with an excess risk of vascul
ar disease and diabetic nephropathy,
Objective To examine the importance of this polymorphism as a determinant o
f hypertension and impaired glucose metabolism in a population-based study
of three ethnic groups and assess the potential modifying effect of gender.
Design population-based cross-sectional study in South London. The populati
on-based sample of 1577 men and women, age 40-59 years, was obtained from s
tratified random sampling of general practice lists where 25% of the reside
nts were born outside the UK. The ACE I/D polymorphism was determined for 1
366 individuals (86.6%): 462 whites, 462 of African descent and 442 of Sout
h Asian origin.
Results The genotype frequency within each ethnic group was in Hardy-Weinbe
rg equilibrium. The frequencies were similar in whites and those of African
descent (II, ID, DD: 18.4%, 49.6%, 32.0% for whites and 18.4%, 50.5%, 30.9
% for those of African descent), but there was a much higher frequency of t
he II genotype in those of South Asian origin (39.8%, 41.8%, 18.3%; chi(2)
= 77.6; P < 0.0001). There was no association between the I/D polymorphism
and impaired glucose metabolism in any ethnic group. There were also no sig
nificant associations between the I/D polymorphism and hypertension in whit
es and in those of South Asian origin. This contrasts with a highly signifi
cant association between the D allele and hypertension in women of African
descent (OR = 2.54; 95% CI 1.38-4.65; P = 0.003) but not in men of African
descent (0.79; 0.36-1.72) (test far differences between sexes P = 0.023).
Conclusions These observations provide estimates of the frequency distribut
ion of the ACE I/D polymorphism in whites, in people of African descent and
in people of South Asian origin. Moreover, these results highlight the pot
ential importance of gender-dependent interactions between genetic backgrou
nd and expression of hypertensive phenotype. J Hypertens 1999, 17:657-664 (
C) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.