Abstract

BACKGROUND
Chronic micro- and macro-angiopathy in diabetes are clinically significant complications that affect both quality and length of life in diabetic patients. Angiotensin 1 converting enzyme (ACE) is of key importance in regulating systemic and renal circulation by converting angiotensin-1 into -2 and inactivating bradykinin, Recent reports suggest that the ACE gene polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to micro- and macro-angiopathy in diabetes. But the results are diffetent according to the type of diabetes and complication. METHODS: We investigated the alleles of the ACE gene and measured the ACE activity in the 169 cases of non-insulin dependent diabetic patients and in the 95 cases of controls matched with age and BMI. RESULTS: The measured ACE activity was well correlated with the count of D allele. We found no differences of ACE alleles between in diabetes and control. No association was found between ACE gene polymorphism and diabetic microangiopathy(retinopathy or nephropathy). But DD genotypes (homozy-gotes for the deletion polymorphism) and D allele were found more frequently in diabetic patients with coronary artery obstructive diseases than in patients without coronary artery obstructive diseases in coronary angiography. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that ACE gene polymorphism in non-insulin dependent diabetes is associated with coronary artery obstructive diseases, but not with chronic microangiopathy.

• Keywords: NIDDM;ACE;Gene polymorphism;CAOD