Angiotensin-converting enzymes or ACE are enzymes produced by the lungs and kidneys that are part of the chain of reactions in the body that regulate blood pressure. In this case, the action of ACE constricts blood vessels in response to fluid levels in the body, raising blood pressure.
High ACE levels are one of the indicators that a patient has sarcoidosis.
However, in a patient with high blood pressure, heart failure and diabetes, normal levels of ACE tend to lead to very high blood pressure. Since the 1960s, a class of pharmaceuticals known as ACE inhibitors have been in use to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.