Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism and obstructive sleep apnoea in a Chinese population: A meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION

Many studies have investigated the association between angiotensin-converting enzyme () gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and susceptibility to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). However, few have confirmed the relationship between ACE and OSA in the Chinese population. We performed a meta-analysis of studies relating the I/D polymorphism to the risk of OSA in a Chinese population.

METHODS

We evaluated eligible published studies from several databases for this meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses were performed for hypertension. Pooled odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model.

RESULTS

Ten studies were identified to analyse the association between I/D polymorphism and OSA risk. No marked associations were found in any genetic model (>0.05). Subgroup analysis showed an association with hypertension (D vs. I, DD vs. II, ID vs. DD+II, DD+ID vs. II, ID vs. II; <0.05), which was confirmed by sensitivity analyses. No obvious publication bias was found using Egger's test (>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The I/D polymorphism was not associated with an increased risk of OSA in a Chinese population. However, within the hypertensive subgroup, we detected a significant association between the polymorphism and OSA. More case-control investigations are required.