title: Apolipoprotein E4 phenotype is not an important risk factor for coronary heart disease or stroke in elderly subjects.
abstract: The allele e4 (apo e4) of apolipoprotein E (apo E) has been associated with an increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) in cross-sectional studies in middle-aged subjects. We investigated the risk of CHD and stroke with respect to the number of apo e4 alleles in a prospective study of a Finnish nondiabetic cohort including 1067 subjects 65 to 74 years old at baseline. During the 3.5-year follow-up, CHD mortality was 2.8%, total CHD incidence 6.9%, and the cumulative occurrence of CHD (prevalence at baseline and the 3.5-year incidence combined) 17.0%. The incidence of stroke was 3.4%, and the cumulative occurrence of stroke was 6.0%. The CHD mortality was 3.4% in subjects with no apo e4 allele (n = 734), 1.7% in those with one apo e4 allele (n = 296), and 0% in subjects with two apo e4 alleles (n = 37) (P = NS between the three groups). The incidence of CHD according to the number of apo e4 alleles was 6.9% (no apo e4 alleles), 7.4% (one apo e4 allele), and 2.7% (two apo e4 alleles), and the cumulative occurrence of CHD was 16.5%, 18.6%, and 13.5%, respectively (P = NS). The incidence of stroke was 3.8% in subjects with no apo e4 allele, 2.7% in those with one apo e4 allele, and 0% in those with two apo e4 alleles (P = NS). The cumulative occurrence of stroke was 6.0%, 6.4%, and 2.7%, respectively (P = NS).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuusisto
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mykkänen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kervinen
authors.forename: Y A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Kesäniemi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laakso
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001055:Apolipoproteins B / Q000097:blood; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001055:Apolipoproteins B; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D002784:Cholesterol