Evidence of reduced coronary artery disease risk for apolipoprotein ϵ2/3 heterozygotes

• Published in: European journal of internal medicine Vol. 13; no. 4; pp. 250 - 255
• Main Authors: Mamotte, Cyril D.S, Burke, Valerie, Taylor, Roger R, van Bockxmeer, Frank M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 2002
• Subjects: Apolipoprotein E gene; Coronary artery disease; Coronary artery disease; Apolipoprotein E gene
• ISSN: 0953-6205; 1879-0828
• DOI: 10.1016/S0953-6205(02)00030-4

Background: Polymorphism in the gene for apolipoprotein E (apo E) influences lipid metabolism. Relative to the ϵ3 allele, the ϵ4 allele tends to increase and the ϵ2 allele tends to decrease total and serum cholesterol, but uncertainty remains concerning an influence on the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). It is possible that the influence of apo E alleles on CAD risk is influenced by the age of subjects studied. In this study, we examine the influence of the ϵ2 and ϵ4 alleles on the risk of CAD in relatively young subjects. Methods: We determined the apo E genotype of 564 Caucasian CAD subjects below 50 years of age presenting with symptomatic CAD, either with or without prior myocardial infarction, and documented by angiography, and 639 similarly aged Caucasian control subjects without symptomatic CAD randomly selected from the community. Results: The frequency of subjects with the ϵ2/3 genotype was significantly lower in CAD subjects than controls (6 vs. 11%, P<0.01) and, relative to ϵ3/3, the ϵ2/3 genotype was associated with a significant reduction in total and LDL-cholesterol in male and female control subjects. In contrast, there was no difference in the frequency of ϵ4/4 or ϵ4/3 genotypes in CAD cases and controls (30 vs. 26%, NS), and the latter genotypes had little influence on total or LDL-cholesterol. Conclusion: The results indicate a beneficial effect of the ϵ2/3 genotype not only on LDL cholesterol but in decreasing the risk of CAD in Caucasians at a young age.