Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Inflammatory processes play a role in the etiopathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis. Many gene polymorphisms have been associated with inflammation. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion gene polymorphism and chronic rhinosinusitis. METHODS: Fifty-two cases with nasal polyps and 139 control patients were included in the study. Angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion gene polymorphisms, genotype, and allele distributions were determined. Results were statistically compared between groups. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found between the chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps group and the control group in terms of genotype and allele distribution (p=0.015, 0.003, respectively). There were no significant differences in genotype distribution in the chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps group in terms of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) allergy, asthma, and NSAID-exacerbated respiratory disease (p=0.645, 0.660, 0.095, respectively). CONCLUSION: We observed that the risk of chronic rhinosinusitis is higher in individuals with the deletion-deletion genotype and D allele of the angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion gene polymorphism. We believe that these results could be related to the high angiotensin-converting enzyme levels in these patients.