Background: We performed a meta-analysis to clarify the association of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphisms with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) risk. Methods: PubMed, Medline, and Embase literatures up to June 01, 2019, were reviewed. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of associations. Results: Eighteen case-control studies including 14 studies (810 cases and 1754 controls) on eNOS polymorphisms and four studies (1014 cases and 1215 controls) on ACE I/D polymorphism were selected. Overall, analysis showed that infants with the ACE I/D polymorphism have an increased susceptibility to ROP. No association of eNOS 27-bp, 894 G > T and -786 T > C polymorphisms with ROP risk was found. Conclusion: ACE I/D polymorphism may serve as genetic biomarker of increased ROP risk. The eNOS polymorphisms do not appear to influence susceptibility to ROP.
Keywords: Retinopathy of Prematurity; angiotensin I-converting enzyme; endothelial nitric oxide synthase; meta-analysis; polymorphism.