Relationship of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism with nephropathy associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Asian Indians

Abstract Objective Diabetic nephropathy (DN) has become the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, but the pathogenesis of this condition is not exactly understood. Several studies from different parts of the world have examined angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism as a candidate for DN. Two studies yielding controversial results have been reported from India. To rule out this discrepancy, we carried out a hospital-based study on a cohort from our population to determine whether ACE gene polymorphism is associated with DN. Research design and methods ACE gene polymorphism was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction in 460 individuals consisting of 174 cases of DN, 175 cases of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), and 111 controls. The DN cases included in the study were Type 2 DM cases with serum creatinine >1.5 mg/dl and serum albumin >30 mg/dl in a 24-h urine sample. Results ACE insertion/deletion genotyping analysis showed DD genotype in 22.75% of DN cases, 15.42% of Type 2 DM cases, and 21.62% of controls. Chi-square test between the DN group and the control group did not show a significant difference in D allele. However, the difference was significant at P