Benetos A, Gautier S, Ricard S, Topouchian J, et al
Influence of ACE and Angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene
polymorphisms on aortic stiffness in normotensive and
hypertensive patients
Circulation
(Aug) 94:698-703 1996

There are three papers in the Septemer 15 issue of Circulation
pertaining to ACE and related
gene polymorphisms and their clinical implications. The cited paper by
Benetos et al
measured aortic rigidity in normotensive and hypertensive patients. The ACE
D allele was
associated with higher aortic rigidity, but only in hypertensive patients and
only after adjustment
for blood pressure, and the association albeit significant, was rather weak.
A much stronger
association with aortic rigidity was found for the AII type 1 receptor C
allele and aortic rigidity;
this association was independent of blood pressure.
In a related study by
Hosoi et al , carotid, but not femoral, intimal plus medial
thickness was increased in
patients carrying the D allele (DD or ID genotype) in NIDDM patients.
Finally, in the third study
by
Samani et al , a meta-analysis of 15 studies focusing on the
relationship between ACE
genotype and myocardial infarction (MI) found that the ACE D allele is
associated with in increased
risk of MI. (John T. Daugirdas, M.D., University of Illinois at Chicago)