Correlation of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Gene Polymorphism with Effect of Antihypertensive Therapy by Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor

BACKGROUND: The correlation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism with essential hypertension shown in previous studies is controversial, and the responses of hypertensive patients with different angiotensin-converting enzyme genotypes to treatment with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor merits investigation. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients with essential hypertension and 102 normotensive subjects were included in this study. All subjects were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction for the insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene. Blood pressure was measured before and after taking Benazepril 10 mg, once daily, for 2 months. RESULTS: The genotype and allele frequencies were similar (chi(2) = 0.64, P =.73; chi(2) = 0.36, P =.55, respectively). The reduction of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the DD genotype was significantly greater than in the II genotype (10.13 +/- 4.91 vs 5.37 +/- 2.79, P <.01; 7.47 +/- 3.50 vs 4.71 +/- 2.40, P <.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: No significant association of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism with essential hypertension was found. Angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism might be related to the antihypertensive response to an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor in hypertensive patients.