ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A deletion (D)/insertion (I) polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene is known to be associated with hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, myocardial infarction. Cardiac diseases, such as atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease, myocardiac infarction and coronary artery disease have been clearly associated with increasing the risk of ischemic stroke. We investigated the relationship between ACE gene deletion/insertion (D/I) polymorphism and the pattern of ischemic stroke. METHODS: The pattern of ACE genotypes in 59 stroke patients including symptomatic carotid artery territory cerebral ischemia were compared with 101 age-matched control subjects. In the stroke patients, the degrees of stenosis of bilateral cervical carotid arteries and their major intracranial tributaries were recorded according to duplex neck sonography and magnetic resonance angiography. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and ACE I/D polymorphism is confirmed by PCR method. RESULTS: In the stroke patients, 25.4% showed the I I genotypes, 8.5% the ID genotypes and 66.1% the DD genotypes. In the control group, the frequencies of each genotype were 20.8%, 55.4% and 23.8%, respectively. The DD genotypes were more common in patients with ischemic stroke compared with the controls, but there was no significant association between ACE genotypes and sub-types of cerebrovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: The deletion polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene may play a role in development of ischemic stroke.