Obstetric Medicine > Volume 2, Number 2 > Pp. 67-70

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Original articles

The angiotensin-converting enzyme gene insertion–deletion polymorphism in a white British patient cohort with obstetric cholestasis

Roman Müllenbach PhD   ^*, Natasha Tetlow PhD   , Amanda Bennett PhD   , Fiona Broughton Pipkin PhD   , Linda Morgan DM FRCPath   ^** and Catherine Williamson MD FRCP    

^* Klinik für Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Gebäude 41 Kirrberger Str, 66421 Homburg, Germany; Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN; Diabetes Research Laboratories, Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, Old Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LJ; Department of Obstetrics, City Hospital, Nottingham NG5 1PB; ^** Institute of Genetics, University Hospital Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK

Correspondence to: Catherine Williamson, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK Email: catherine.williamson{at}imperial.ac.uk

The DD genotype of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene is over-represented in Finnish patients with obstetric cholestasis (OC). The purpose of this study was to establish whether this genotype is associated with cholestasis in UK cases. In a retrospective case-control study, we determined the ACE insertion/deletion frequencies in 166 British cases and 100 control women by polymerase chain reaction analysis. No significant difference in allele frequencies was found between these groups, but allele frequencies differed significantly between Finnish and UK OC cases (P = 0.0005). The prevalence of the DD genotype is lower in UK cases than in controls (² [1 d.f.] = 4.32, P = 0.05) and the odds ratio for OC associated with the DD genotypeis 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.30–0.97. In contrast to Finnish OC cases, the DD genotype of the ACE is not increased in UK cases.

Key Words: angiotensin-converting enzyme • gene polymorphism • obstetric cholestasis

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