title: Apolipoprotein E polymorphism is associated with age of onset in schizophrenia.
abstract: The aims of the study were to investigate the relationship between Apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphism, risk of schizophrenia, treatment response to conventional anti-psychotics, and age of onset in schizophrenia. The sample comprised 94 Finnish patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia. Forty-three of the patients were good responders to conventional anti-psychotics and 51 were classified as non-responders. The control group consisted of 98 healthy blood donors. The APOE allele frequencies (epsilon 2, epsilon 3, and epsilon 4) were 4.8, 72.3, and 22.9% in patients and 7.1, 75.0, and 17.9 in controls. None of the differences between groups were statistically significant. No association between treatment response and APOE genotype was found. Patients with APOE epsilon 4/epsilon 4 genotype had a markedly lower age of onset compared with rest of the sample (p=0.0015), which remained significant when controlling for gender (p=0.02). There was an increasing linear trend between the number of epsilon 3 alleles (0, 1, or 2) and age of onset in schizophrenia (p=0.08). An inverse trend was found between the number of epsilon 4 alleles and age of onset (p=0.07). No relationship between APOE polymorphism and risk for schizophrenia was found. APOE epsilon 4/epsilon 4 genotype may be associated with early onset schizophrenia. APOE epsilon 3 allele may function protectively in later onset in this disease.
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Tampere, 33014, Tampere, Finland. olli.kampman@uta.fi.|Department of Psychiatry, Seinäjoki Hospital District, 62200, Seinäjoki, Finland. olli.kampman@uta.fi.
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kampman
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Tampere, 33014, Tampere, Finland.|Laboratory of Atherosclerosis Genetics, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Centre for Laboratory Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Teiskontie 35, PL 2000, 33521, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anttila
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Tampere, 33014, Tampere, Finland.|Department of Psychiatry, Kanta-Häme Central Hospital, 13530, Hameenlinna, Finland.
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Illi
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Tampere, 33014, Tampere, Finland.|Laboratory of Atherosclerosis Genetics, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Centre for Laboratory Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Teiskontie 35, PL 2000, 33521, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Kari M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Mattila
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Tampere, 33014, Tampere, Finland.|Laboratory of Atherosclerosis Genetics, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Centre for Laboratory Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Teiskontie 35, PL 2000, 33521, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Riikka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rontu
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Tampere, 33014, Tampere, Finland.|Department of Psychiatry, Tampere University Hospital, 33380, Pitkaniemi, Finland.
authors.forename: Esa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leinonen
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Tampere, 33014, Tampere, Finland.|Laboratory of Atherosclerosis Genetics, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Centre for Laboratory Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Teiskontie 35, PL 2000, 33521, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Terho
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lehtimäki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000483:Alleles; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010597:Pharmacogenetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D001057:Apolipoproteins E