[Correlation between polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene and the lower extremity atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients].

To explore the correlation between polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene and lower extremity atherosclerosis (LEA) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. A total of 380 patients diagnosed with T2DM in Department of Endocrinology from June 2015 to March 2016 were enrolled and divided into two groups: group A had no LEA (=120) and group B had LEA(=260). Color doppler ultrasound was used to detect the vascular lesions of the patients. For all patients in groups A and B, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied to determined the insertion/deletion polymorphism in intron 16 of the ACE gene of the patients. Then the blood pressure, blood lipid, glycated hemoglobin, and renal function were measured. Furthermore, the measured data was compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the independent risk factors for LEA. There was no significant statistical difference in age, sex, smoking and disease course between the two groups. The frequencies of DD genotype and D allele in the ACE gene of group B were much higher than those in group A. More specifically, DD genotype frequency was 18.8% in group B and 9.2% in group A, D allele frequency was 36.8% in group B and 29.2% in group A (all <0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that DD genotype in ACE gene (=2.744, 95% : 1.326-5.682), systolic blood pressure (=1.725, 95% : 1.072-2.778), total cholesterol (=3.785, 95% 1.796-7.978), and glycated hemoglobin (=2.612, 95% : 1.602-4.258) were risk factors for LEA in T2DM patients. ACE gene insertion/deletion polymorphism was associated with the incidence of LEA in T2DM patients. DD genotype of the ACE gene may be a genetic risk factor for T2DM patients with concurrent atherosclerosis.