de e i n g

Coronary artery disease, the main cause of death in western countries, is a multifactorial and multigenic disease. Its prevalence varies among different popu-lations, and epidemiological and familial studies have shown genetic and environmental factors cooperating in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. Several studies have suggested that the genes encoding components of the renin angiotensin system are candi-date genes for cardiovascular disease and recently gen-etic polymorphisms of the renin angiotensin system have been associated with coronary artery disease[1–3]. Genetic variants have been identified in several compo-nents of the renin angiotensin system. Polymorphic markers in angiotensinogen (AGT) and angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) genes have been found to be associated with risk for hypertension and myocardial infarction. Moreover, five single nucleotide transitions in the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) mRNAEuropean Heart Journal (2000) 21, 633–638 doi:10.1053/euhj.1999.1738, available online a