Study of ACE gene polymorphism and serum ACE level in elderly patients with cerebral stroke

Objective To investigate the relationship between angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and serum ACE level in elderly patients with cerebral stroke. Methods Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) was used to examine ACE gene polymorphism. The distribution of three ACE genotypes frequencies and D allele frequency in 50 elderly patients with cerebral strokes were compared with those in 50 healthy controls, whose serum ACE levels were measured with colorimetric technique. Results The frequency of D allele was higher in the stroke group than that in healthy controls (P0.05).A significant difference in serum ACE level of DD genotype was observed between the stroke group and control group (P0.05). Conclusions Serum ACE level was associated with ACE gene I/D polymorphism. It suggests that D allele might be a genetic risk factor for stroke in the elderly.