Background: Different studies have shown a relationship between an insertion-deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene and the risk of ischemic heart disease, although there are no data on this association in the Spanish population.
Materials and method: We have studied three groups of patients: I, healthy volunteers (n = 56, mean age 36.20 +/- 4.20 years); II, patients having presented an acute myocardial infarction (MI) < or = 50 years (n = 59, mean age 42.30 +/- 5.30 years), and III, patients with MI over the age of 50 years (n = 60, mean age 66.36 +/- 9.47 years). In all patients the genotype ACE gen was determined by an assay based on the polymerase chain reaction.
Results: The distribution of the ACE genotype between the three groups were not significative. Comparing the ratio of DD/II-DI in groups II and III there were 26/33 versus 15/45 (p = 0.02864). There was no difference in the smoking, hypercholesterolemia and hypertension between groups II and III; there were only differences in familial history of ischemic heart disease; diabetes mellitus was more prevalent in the III group. A multivariate analysis showed that smoking familial history of ichemic heart disease, hypercholesterolemia and DD genotype were more prevalent in young patients (OR 3.92, 2.85, 2.36 and 1.77), whereas diabetes mellitus was more prevalent in the group of older patients. There were no differences in the ACE genotype with respect to infarct location or gender.
Conclusions: In our population DD ACE genotype is associated with MI in young patients, although smoking, family history and hypercholesterolemia show a more powerful association.