Search

Background: Many studies have reported increased serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with acute coronary syndromes. We searched for the association between either the -634 C/G or the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the VEGF gene and myocardial infarction (MI) in subjects with type 2 diabetes., Methods: 143 subjects with type 2 diabetes and MI were compared to 228 diabetic subjects without coronary artery disease (CAD). VEGF serum levels were analyzed in 94 subjects with type 2 diabetes without CAD., Results: A significantly higher frequency of the CC genotype of the -634 C/G VEGF polymorphism was found in the patients with MI compared to the patients without CAD (17.5 vs. 9.2%; p = 0.019), whereas the insertion/deletion VEGF polymorphism failed to yield an association with MI. Significantly higher VEGF serum levels were demonstrated in subjects with the CC genotype compared to those with the other (CG + GG) genotypes (60.4 +/- 32.1 vs. 44.1 +/- 23.5 ng/l; p < 0.01)., Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that the CC genotype of the -634 C/G VEGF gene might be a risk factor for MI in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes of duration of more than 10 years., (2007 S. Karger AG, Basel)

In an association study, the relationship between the insertion/deletion (I/D) plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) gene polymorphism or the I/D angiotensin 1-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism and the development of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes was investigated. One hundred and twenty-four subjects with type 2 diabetes and diabetic retinopathy were compared to 80 diabetic subjects without retinopathy with diabetes of a duration of more than 10 years. The PAI-1 gene distribution and ACE gene distribution in patients with diabetic retinopathy (4G4G 31.4%, 4G5G 46.8%, 5G5G 21.8%; DD 26.6%, ID 50.8%, II 22.6%) were not significantly different from those of diabetic subjects without retinopathy (4G4G 31.3%, 4G5G 50%, 5G5G 18.7%; DD 31.3%, ID 40%, II 28.7%). Neither the 4G/5G PAI-1 gene polymorphism nor the I/D ACE gene polymorphism contributed to the genetic susceptibility to diabetic retinopathy, either non-proliferative, proliferative or severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy, i.e. visual acuity of 0.1 or less in the better eye, in a group of Caucasian subjects with type 2 diabetes., (Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel)