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    Ann Intern Med. 2002 Sep 3;137(5 Part 1):321-6.

    Angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism is associated with vulnerability to alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

    Fernández-Solà J, Nicolás JM, Oriola J, Sacanella E, Estruch R, Rubin E, Urbano-Márquez A.

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    BACKGROUND: Chronic alcohol abuse has a dose-dependent toxic effect on the myocardium, leading to alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The fact that only a minority of persons with chronic alcoholism have this condition suggests the possibility of a genetic vulnerability. In this context, polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been implicated in cardiac dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: To compare the ACE genotypes of alcoholic persons who have cardiomyopathy with those of comparable alcohol abusers who have normal cardiac function. DESIGN: Case-control study over a 2-year period. SETTING: An academic tertiary referral hospital in Barcelona, Spain. PATIENTS: 30 alcoholic men with symptomatic cardiomyopathy and 27 alcoholic men with normal cardiac function. MEASUREMENTS: Ethanol intake, cardiac status, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and ACE gene polymorphism. RESULTS: The DD ACE genotype was present in 57% of alcoholic persons with an LVEF less than 0.50 and in 7% of those with normal cardiac function. Compared with persons who had an I allele, the odds ratio for development of left ventricular dysfunction in alcoholic persons with the DD genotype was 16.4. CONCLUSIONS: Vulnerability to cardiomyopathy among chronic alcohol abusers is partially genetic and is related to presence of the ACE DD genotype. This finding demonstrates genetic susceptibility to alcohol-induced myocardial damage.

    PMID: 12204015 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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