Open AccessThe association between the ApoE polymorphisms and the MRI‐defined intracranial lesions in a cohort of southern China population
Author(s) -
Li Zhuoran,
Yang Na,
Lei Xiuxia,
Lin Chuying,
Li Nan,
Jiang Xinqing,
Wei Xinhua,
Xu Banglao
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of clinical laboratory analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1098-2825
pISSN - 0887-8013
DOI - 10.1002/jcla.22950
Subject(s) - apolipoprotein e , allele , genotype , odds ratio , medicine , cohort , atrophy , gastroenterology , population , allele frequency , pathology , endocrinology , oncology , disease , biology , genetics , gene , environmental health
Background The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele is considered as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the association of APOE allele with MRI evidence of intracranial lesions has not been well understood. Methods Quantitative real‐time PCR was performed to detect the APOE genotype; MRI was examined for intracranial lesions. Their association was evaluated in a cohort of 226 AD patients and 2607 healthy individuals in southern China. Results The frequencies of ε2, ε3, and ε4 alleles were 8.0%, 82.9%, and 9.1% in the whole study population. The frequency of APOE‐ε4 allele was significantly higher in the AD subjects than that in the control group (14.4% vs 8.6%, P < 0.001). We found that brain atrophy occurred at a rate of 12.3% in ε4 allele group vs 8.5% in non‐ε4 genotype group, with a significance of P = 0.008. Severe brain atrophy occurred at a rate of 1.0% in ε4 allele group vs 0.2% in non‐ε4 genotype group ( P = 0.011). The individuals carrying APOE ε4/ε4 had an odds ratio (OR) of 7.64 ( P < 0.01) for developing AD, while the APOE ε3/ε4 gene carriers had an OR of 1.47 ( P = 0.031) and the OR in APOE ε2/ε3 carriers is 0.81 ( P = 0.372). Interestingly, we found that the risk of ε4/ε4 allele carrier developing AD was significantly higher in male ( P < 0.001) than female ( P = 0.478). Conclusion Compared to ε2 and ε3 alleles, the presence of APOE‐ε4 allele might increase the risk for AD in a dose‐dependent manner in southern China. Moreover, the presence of APOE‐ε4 allele results in a higher incidence of brain atrophy.