Associations of ACE I/D and AGT M235T Gene Polymorphisms with the Gestational Hypertension and the Fetal Growth

Hypertensive disease during pregnancy is a crucial perinatal problem. Preeclampsia is associated with complications for pregnant women and fetuses, so it is important to find causative factors. All over the world multiple researches are held among others on the subject of genetic conditioning of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. Genes encoding the elements of the renin– angiotensin system, which regulates blood pressure are the most commonly studied, especially the polymorphisms: ACE I/D and AGT M235T. In this case–control study 168 pregnant patients were randomly enrolled from the patients hospitalized in the Perinatology and Obstetrics Department of the University Hospital in Cracow (Poland). In the study there were 104 normotensive pregnant women, 29 patients with preeclampsia and 35 patients with gestational hypertension. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes and polymorphisms of ACE I/D and AGT M235T were genotyped from all patients. The genotypes distribution and allele frequencies of polymorphisms and its association to perinatal outcome in all groups were analyzed. A p-value <0.05 was considered as significant. Clinical evaluation included the duration of the pregnancy, a method of the delivery, the birth weight, the birth length and the Apgar score. The risk of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension was evaluated. The CC genotype of AGT M235T polymorphism increases the risk of gestational hypertension. Genotype DD of the I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene is associated with the risk of lower birth weight percentile, but not with the increased risk of a fetal hypotrophy. The study shows the probable impact of ACE I/D and AGT M235T polymorphisms on pregnancy, but further studies on larger groups are needed.