The Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism in the Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Gene and Hypoglycemia Awareness in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract

Impaired hypoglycemia awareness affects approximately 25% of all patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). Duration of diabetes and tight glycemic control represent main risk factors of impaired hypoglycemia awareness. However, even among patients with good glycemic control and longstanding T1DM, awareness of hypoglycemia may be intact. Genetic factors might explain some of this remaining variability. Recently, the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in angiotensin converting enzyme gene (ACE) was shown to be associated with significantly higher risk of hypoglycemic events in subjects with T1DM. Here, we studied the effects of genetic polymorphisms in the ACE on impaired hypoglycemia awareness in 231 Caucasian T1DM patients. Hypoglycemia awareness status was determined using standardized questionnaires (Clarke et al. and Edinburgh Hypoglycemia Scale). ACE I/D genotype was determined by PCR amplification of the respective fragments from intron 16 of the ACE and size fractionation (I allele frequency=0.49; P=0.74 for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium). In the logistic regression analysis, significant risk factors of impaired hypoglycemia awareness were duration of diabetes, C-peptide and HbA_1c (all P<0.01). However, no significant effect of the I/D polymorphism on impaired hypoglycemia awareness was observed with and without adjustment for age, diabetes duration, C-peptide and HbA_1c. Even though the study provides a relatively large dataset, it is possible that small differences may have been missed.

Key words

Genetics - type 1 diabetes - hypoglycemia unawareness - angiotensin-converting enzyme

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