EDITORThe ACE gene has a 287 bp Alu insertion in intron 16.¹ The presence (I) or absence (D) of this insertion produces three population genotypes, II, ID, and DD. The D allele has been proposed as an indicator of cardiovascular risk in several studies,^2-4 although this was not supported in a large study on US physicians.⁵ There is a codominant relationship between ACE ID genotype and serum ACE levels in white populations, with the D allele associated with increased levels.¹ It is not clear whether a similar relationship exists in black populations. One report showed no difference in serum ACE levels between the different I/D genotypic groups in American blacks.⁶ Two others, both on the Jamaican population,^7 8 suggested an important impact of the D allele. It is possible that the black populations reported could have a genetic contribution from other ethnic groups. We therefore examined a Ghanaian population, where . . . [Full text of this article]