Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism and obesity status in middle-aged men with coronary heart disease.
BACKGROUND
Apolipoprotein (apo) E polymorphism has been associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and obesity. We aimed to determine whether apoE polymorphism is related to CHD in patients with different body mass index (BMI).


METHODS
A total of 359 CHD men and 248 healthy controls with BMI <27 kg/m2 were genotyped for the apoE polymorphism. The CHD patients were divided into: normoweight (BMI: 24 +/- 1 kg/m2, n=98), overweight (BMI: 27 +/- 1 kg/m2, n=189) and obese (BMI: 32 +/- 2 kg/m2, n=72) groups.


RESULTS
There was a significant difference in apoE genotype frequency between normoweight CHD patients and healthy controls (epsilon2epsilon2 + epsilon2epsilon3: 6% vs. 15%, p=0.029; epsilon3epsilon3: 83% vs. 70%, p=0.045, respectively). The apo epsilon3epsilon4 + epsilon4epsilon4 frequency was higher in obese compared with normoweight CHD patients (p=0.043). The severity of CHD was similar in all patients with CHD.


CONCLUSIONS
Normoweight CHD patients, despite having a lower BMI and more favorable lipid profile, did not display any significant difference in CHD severity. This could be partially attributed to the lower frequency of the epsilon2 cardio-protective allele in normoweight CHD patients compared with normoweight healthy individuals.
First Cardiology Department, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Athens, Greece. genovefa@kolovou.com
Genovefa D
GD
Kolovou
Katherine K
KK
Anagnostopoulou
Peggy
P
Kostakou
Vassiliki
V
Giannakopoulou
Constantinos
C
Mihas
Georgios
G
Hatzigeorgiou
Ioannis K
IK
Vasiliadis
Dimitri P
DP
Mikhailidis
Dennis V
DV
Cokkinos
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015897:Comorbidity; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D055815:Young Adult
D001057:Apolipoproteins E