Clinical study
Elevation of serum angiotension-converting-enzyme (ACE) level in sarcoidosis

https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9343(75)90395-2Get rights and content

Abstract

The level of serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) was elevated in 15 of 17 patients with active sarcoidosis. Serum ACE was studied to determine the effect of chronic lung disease upon the blood level of an enzyme believed to originate from the lungs. The assay was performed in approximately 200 control subjects and 200 patients with chronic lung disease using hippuryl-L-histi-dyl-L-leucine as substrate. Enzyme activity was greater in male control subjects than in female subjects of comparable age and greater in children than in adults. Serum ACE was significantly reduced in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease, lung cancer, tuberculosis and cystic fibrosis, as compared to control subjects, and was even lower in those receiving corticosteroids. Of greatest interest, however, was that levels in patients with active sarcoidosis not receiving steroids were greater than 2 standard deviations above the mean for the adult control subjects (greater than 11.6 units) whereas levels in patients with sarcoidosis receiving steroids and in those with resolved disease were normal. A survey of subjects with other granulomatous diseases failed to reveal any other condition that was significantly associated with a similar elevation of serum ACE levels. Elevation of ACE levels in sarcoidosis appears to be associated with the active disease process and does not appear to be a familial inherited enzyme abnormality. An assay of serum ACE is a useful tool for regulating therapy in sarcoidosis and for confirming the diagnosis, since it readily distinguishes these patients from others with tuberculosis, lung cancer or lymphoma.

References (18)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (801)

  • Angiotensin-converting enzyme

    2023, Metalloenzymes: From Bench to Bedside
View all citing articles on Scopus

This paper was presented before the American Thoracic Society, Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 15, 1974. This paper was supported by Grant HL 13398 from the U.S. Public Health Service, Bethesda, Maryland, and in part by the Lawson Hamilton Research Fund.

1

From the Department of Respiratory Diseases, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, California, and the University of California Medical School, Irvine, California.

View full text