The insertion-deletion polymorphism of the ACE gene is associated with increased blood pressure in women at the end of pregnancy

Introduction: Malfunctioning of the cardiovascular system during pregnancy may be responsible for adverse effects on the ‘mother-fetus’ system. The cardiovascular system of a pregnant woman develops adaptation to the increased load. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is known to play an important role in the adaptation. The present study was designed to investigate whether the insertion-deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the ACE gene is associated with the level of arterial blood pressure in women before and during pregnancy. Materials and methods: The level of blood pressure was measured in 591 Russian women (Central Russia) before and during (37–40 weeks term) pregnancy. The women were divided into three groups which were hypertensive, hypotensive, and normotensive according to blood pressure level. Genotyping of the ACE I/D polymorphism was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and amplified fragment length polymorphism assay. Results: Women with genotype DD showed the highest blood pressure level both during and at the end of pregnancy (p