Ethnic differences in the association between angiotensin‐converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism and peripheral vascular disease: A meta‐analysis

Background Several studies have investigated the association of angiotensin‐converting enzyme ( ACE ) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism with peripheral vascular disease (PVD); however, the results remain controversial. Therefore, we conducted the current meta‐analysis to evaluate this relationship in the general population of different ethnicities. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang Database, and CNKI to identify eligible studies. Random‐effect models were applied to estimate the pooled odds ratio ( OR ) with a 95% confidence interval ( CI ), regardless of between‐study heterogeneity. Results A total of 13 studies with 1966 cases and 6129 controls were included in this meta‐analysis. The pooled OR s for the association between ACE I/D polymorphism and PVD risk were not statistically significant in the overall population under all genetic models. In further ethnicity‐stratified analyses, we found a statistically significant association of ACE I/D polymorphism with PVD susceptibility in Asians under most models. However, the association among Caucasians did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion ACE I/D polymorphism might be associated with susceptibility to PVD in the Asian population, but there was no clear evidence indicating a similar significant relationship among Caucasians.