RMU

Introduction: we have previously demonstrated that diabetic patients have an increased incidence of micro and macrovascular pathologies. Upon exploration of possible determining factors, the ACE gene appears as an attractive factor, since it presents, according to the existing InDel polymorphism, an increase of the enzyme concentration in blood associated to vascular diseases.

Objective: to establish the prevalence of polymorphism of the ACE gene in diabetic patients, and to compare the frequencies with those found in the general population, in order to find out whether there is a relationship between locus and diabetes mellitus.

Method: the population studied consisted of 131 individuals with a certain diagnosis of diabetes, according to criteria of the American Diabetes Population. We determined InDel polymorhism´s genic and genotypic frequencies in the ACE gene through the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results: we failed to find meaningful differences in the prevalence of the marker studied between diabetic patients and the general population.

Discussion: to sum up, the present marker is a risk factor that is not associated to diabetes itself; hence the relationship between this gene and vascular complications would be the same in diabetic patients and the general population.