title: Apolipoprotein E genotypes and clinical outcome in Guillain-Barré syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Polymorphism of the gene encoding the cholesterol transport protein apolipoprotein E (APOE, gene; apoE, protein), known to be involved in axonal regeneration and remyelination, influences outcome after a variety of central nervous system disorders. Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphisms could affect recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To correlate APOE genotypes with residual disability and degree of improvement in Guillain-Barré syndrome, assessed one year after presentation
  
  
  METHODS
  91 patients with the syndrome were recruited from southeast England and their APOE genotypes were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no clear differences in APOE genotype or allele frequencies when comparing the 91 patients with controls, nor when comparing 81 patients with good outcome and 10 with poor outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  APOE genotype did not influence susceptibility to Guillain-Barré syndrome or recovery from it. This may be because our sample size of 91 was not sufficiently large to detect small differences in recovery associated with different APOE genotypes, or because cholesterol transportation is not a crucial rate limiting step in peripheral nerve regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, London SE1, UK. jane.pritchard@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.forename: R A C
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Rees
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Willison
authors.forename: J A R
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nicoll
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E