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Apolipoprotein E polymorphism interacts with cigarette smoking in progression of multiple sclerosis
Author(s) -
Sena A.,
Couderc R.,
FerretSena V.,
Pedrosa R.,
Andrade M. L.,
Araujo C.,
Roque R.,
Cascais M. J.,
Morais M. G.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
european journal of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1468-1331
pISSN - 1351-5101
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2009.02603.x
Subject(s) - medicine , multiple sclerosis , polymorphism (computer science) , apolipoprotein e , cigarette smoking , apolipoprotein b , genetics , immunology , allele , gene , disease , cholesterol , biology
Background and purpose: The influence of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) polymorphism on clinical severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still controversial. Cigarette smoking has been suggested to influence the progression of disability in these patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether an interaction of smoking with the ApoE polymorphism influences the progression of disability in MS patients. Methods: Smoking history from 205 female patients with MS was obtained. Clinical data collected include age at onset, disease duration, annual relapse rate, the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS). ApoE polymorphism was examined in all patients and stratified according to smoking status and associations with the clinical data investigated. Results: There were no significant associations between cigarette smoking and any of the clinical characteristics in the whole group of patients. In women carrying the ApoE E4 isoform, smokers had a lower EDSS ( P = 0.033) and MSSS ( P = 0.023) in comparison with non‐smokers. Conclusion: Our data suggest that in women with MS carrying the ApoE E4 isoform, cigarette smoking may have a protective influence on disease progression and accumulation of disability. These findings need to be confirmed by future large longitudinal studies.