Angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D polymorphism and diabetic peripheral neuropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Several molecular epidemiological studies have been conducted to examine the association between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D polymorphism and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) risk. However, the conclusions remained controversial. We therefore performed this meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed and EMBASE were searched to identify case-control studies investigating the associations of ACE I/D polymorphism with risk of DPN. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of association between ACE I/D polymorphism and risk of DPN. Results: A total of seven case-control studies including 1316 cases and 1617 controls were included. ACE I/D polymorphism was associated with a significantly increased risk of DPN (OR=1.46, 95%CI 1.11-1.92, p=0.006, I2=48%). This result remained statistically significant when the adjusted ORs were combined (OR=1.84, 95%CI 1.14-2.99, p=0.01, I2=53%). In the infgroup of ethnicity, a significantly elevated risk was observed in Caucasians (OR=1.32, 95%CI 1.10-1.59, p=0.003, I2=43%). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis confirmed that ACE I/D polymorphism was associated with the risk of DPN.