Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene variations with coronary artery disease in the Iranian population.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene (I/D) variations in CAD patients and healthy controls in an Iranian population (West Azerbaijan province of Iran).

Method: This cross-sectional study included 95 CAD patients and 203 healthy controls. ACE I/D polymorphisms were assessed using PCR, and their frequency was determined.

Results: There were 298 people, 95 CAD patients, and 203 controls, with an average age of 50.96±3.45 and 51.14±10.20. We discovered that the frequency of the D allele was significantly higher in CAD patients than in controls (P = 0.0009). In contrast, the frequency of the I allele was significantly higher in controls than in CAD patients (P = 0.0009). The D allele carriers genotypes (DD + ID) were more frequent in the CAD patients than in the control group (P = 0.008). The ACE II genotype-state carriers were more common in the control group than in CAD patients (P = 0.008). However, in the case of the ACE ID genotype, no significant differences were not found in the tested groups (P = 0.47).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that individuals with the ACE DD genotype are predisposed to CAD, whereas individuals with the ACE II genotype state are protected.