Objective: To study the relationship between the 16th intron insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene and pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH).
Methods: The 16th intron I/D polymorphism of ACE gene in 60 PIH women (PIH group) and 50 normal pregnant women (control group) was detected by PCR. The type of ACE gene in PIH group was assessed and the serum concentration of angiotensin II (AngII) was compared between PIH group and control group.
Results: ACE gene types in the PIH women included: insertion homozygote II, deletion homozygote (DD) and insertion/deletion heterozygote (ID). The gene frequency was 55.0% (33/60) for II, 26.7% (16/60) for ID and 18.3% (11/60) for DD respectively. The frequency of insertion allelotype (0.7) of PIH group was higher than that of control group (0.3) (P < 0.05). The Ang II concentration in DD type PIH women was higher than that in control group although the Ang II concentration in II type and I D type PIH was not different from control.
Conclusions: ACE gene polymorphism in the PIH women included: insertion homozygote II, deletion homozygote (DD) and insertion/deletion heterozygote (ID). The concentration of Ang II in DD type PIH women was higher than in control. It is suggested that the pathogenesis of PIH may be connected with multiple genes and factors.