Polymorphism of Gene ACE I/D and Family History of Hypertension as Predisposition of Hypertension

Introduction: Hypertension is a polygenic disease that caused 45% of deaths. Various genes have been engaged with the pathogenesis of hypertension. One of these genes affects sodium homeostasis in the kidney, including the ACE I/D gene polymorphism. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship of family history of hypertension and ACE I/D gene polymorphism with the incidence of hypertension in coastal communities of Kendari City. Methods: The study was conducted using a case-control study design. The case group was hypertensive patients based on medical diagnostic by doctors, while the control group was healthy individuals without any records on hypertension. As many as 70 individuals residing in the coastal area of Kendari City were involved as samples of the study. Both case and control groups consisted of 35 individuals. Data collection techniques were carried out experimentally using the PCR-RFLP method. Results: The prevalence of I allele was found in individuals with a family history of hypertension (72.1%) as compared to the D allele (27.9%). The study also found a significant correlation between the family history of hypertension and ACE I/D gene polymorphism (p-value 0.001). However, there was no significant relationship between ACE I/D gene polymorphism and the incidence of hypertension in this population (p-value 0.631). Conclusion: Family history of hypertension was a risk factor for the incidence of hypertension. On the other hand, the polymorphism of ACE I/D gene was a protective factor towards the incidence of hypertension.