Apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele is associated with the volume of white matter changes in patients with lacunar infarcts.
The relationship between the apolipoprotein E (APOE) exon 4 polymorphism and white matter changes (WMC) in elderly subjects or patients with Alzheimer's disease is controversial. To investigate this polymorphism in relation to WMC in patients with lacunar infarcts, we prospectively observed 67 patients with acute lacunar infarct and 134 age- and sex-matched controls. Genotypes were determined using a nested polymerase chain reaction. WMC were measured quantitatively and were divided into two groups, severe and mild, with the mean volume of WMC as the cut point. Twenty-two patients (33%) had severe WMC. There was a significant difference in the distribution of APOE epsilon2, epsilon3, and epsilon4 alleles between severe and mild WMC groups (P = 0.002). The frequency of epsilon4 alleles was higher in patients with severe WMC than in those with mild WMC (25% vs. 7%, P = 0.003). These results suggest that APOE epsilon4 may exacerbate WMC in patients with lacunar infarcts. Further studies are required to confirm this finding.
Wen
H M
HM
Department of Rehabilitation, the third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Baum
L
L
Cheung
W S
WS
Mok
V
V
Lam
W W M
WW
Tomlinson
B
B
Wong
K S
KS
Ng
H K
HK
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D053329:Apolipoprotein E2; D053318:Apolipoprotein E3; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D053329:Apolipoprotein E2; D053318:Apolipoprotein E3; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D001057:Apolipoproteins E