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Dementia among elderly apolipoprotein E type 4/4 homozygotes: A prospective study
Author(s) -
Ganguli Mary,
Cauley Jane A.,
Dekosky Steven T.,
Kamboh M. Ilyas
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
genetic epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.301
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1098-2272
pISSN - 0741-0395
DOI - 10.1002/gepi.1370120308
Subject(s) - apolipoprotein e , genetics , dementia , medicine , oncology , prospective cohort study , gerontology , biology , disease
The E*4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene on chromosome 19 has been shown to be an age‐ and dose‐related risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Of 870 elderly women participating in an osteoporosis study, 13 were previously found to be homozygous for the APOE*4 allele; 1 was deceased and the rest were assessed for dementia in a “piggyback” study of dementia. One had moderate [clinical dementia rating (CDR) = 2], 2 had mild dementia (CDR = 1), and 2 had possible dementia (CDR = 0.5). All 3 women over 80 years were definitely demented (CDR ⩾ 1). Typically, genetic studies of Alzheimer's and other dementias require the identification and diagnosis of large numbers of demented subjects, at considerable expense, followed by genotyping or phenotyping with a relatively low yield of individuals with rare alleles. We demonstrate a more cost‐effective approach in which the population is first phenotyped and then stratified by phenotype, so that diagnostic evaluation can be restricted to individuals with the phenotype of interest. ©1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.