Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme; SACE
The ACE test measures the level of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in the blood.
Follow your health care provider's instructions for not eating or drinking for up to 12 hours before the test. If you are on steroid medicine, ask your provider if you need to stop the medicine before the test, because steroids can decrease ACE levels. Do not stop any medicine before talking to your provider.
When the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel moderate pain. Others feel only a prick or stinging. Afterward, there may be some throbbing or slight bruising. This soon goes away.
This test is most often ordered to help diagnose and monitor a disorder called sarcoidosis. People with sarcoidosis may have their ACE level tested regularly to check how severe the disease is and how well treatment is working.
This test may also help confirm a diagnosis of Gaucher disease.
Normal values vary based on your age and the test method used. Adults have an ACE level less than 40 micrograms per liter.
Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different measurements or test different samples. Talk to your provider about the meaning of your specific test results.
Higher than normal ACE level may be a sign of sarcoidosis. ACE levels may rise or fall as sarcoidosis worsens or improves.
A higher than normal ACE level may also be seen in several other diseases and disorders, including:
Lower than normal ACE level may indicate:
There is little risk involved with having your blood taken. Veins and arteries vary in size from one person to another and from one side of the body to the other. Taking blood from some people may be more difficult than from others.
Other risks associated with having blood drawn are slight, but may include:
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Vaidya A, Zennaro MC, Stowasser M. Primary aldosteronism. In: Robertson RP, ed. DeGroot's Endocrinology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 95.
Young WF. Endocrine hypertension. In: Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 16.
BACK TO TOPReview Date: 11/19/2023
Reviewed By: Jacob Berman, MD, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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