BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Numerous factors have been reported to influence the pathogenesis of stroke. The angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene is a candidate gene for atherosclerotic-related diseases. In the present study, the association between the polymorphism of the ACE gene and ischaemic stroke was investigated.
METHODS: Using polymerase chain reaction techniques, 100 patients (48 males, age 69.3 +/- 9.7 years) with cerebral infarction and 100 age- and sex-matched controls were divided into the following three ACE genotypes [deletion (D) and insertion (I)]: II, ID and DD.
RESULTS: There was no evidence of any association between the ACE gene polymorphism and the presence of ischaemic stroke (odds ratio 0.874, 95% confidence interval 0.386-1.973).
CONCLUSIONS: The DD genotype in the human ACE gene does not appear to be a risk factor for ischaemic stroke. Further evaluation in a larger population study is required to examine the possibility of an increased risk of ischaemic stroke in DD homozygotes.