In a large prospective cohort of patients (the SMART-MR study) with symptomatic atherosclerotic disease, elevated serum ACE activity was associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke and high blood pressure (Jochemsen et al., 2012a) and increased progression of white matter ischemic damage (Jochemsen et al., 2012b). The gene discussed is ACE; the disease is hypertensive disorder.