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Document Type

Article

Abstract

Several studies have shown evidence of an association between the *4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE) and coronary heart disease (CHD) in different populations. We determined the APOE genotype and total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) values in 189 patients with angiographically evaluated atherosclerosis. The APOE*4 allele was found to be statistically significantly more frequent (odds ratio, 1.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.12–3.32) among male patients than in a randomly chosen population-based sample. No significant difference was found when female patients were compared to the general population. The APOE*4 allele was found primarily among young (30–45- year-old) male patients ( p 0.04). Despite the ascending linear tendency of the mean TC values for genotypes APOE*2/*3, APOE*3/*3, and APOE*3/ *4 reported in our case population, no differences were observed among our patients. We conclude that the APOE*4 allele is associated with an increased risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease, that this association has an agedependent effect, and that it acts as a genetic factor that increases susceptibility to developing the disease in young to middle-aged male adults in our population.

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