Association of plasma lipid levels with apolipoprotein E polymorphism in Type 2 diabetes

Objective: To evaluate the distribution of apolipoprotein E polymorphism in patients with Type 2 diabetes and their impact on plasma lipid levels. Subjects: Unrelated Type 2 diabetic patients (n = 298) treated by diet and sulfonylurea and not receiving lipid-lowering regimens, elderly (n = 98) and young (n = 101)unrelated healthy control subjects in Hungary. Methods: Apolipoprotein E genotypes were identified by PCR amplification and subsequent restriction endonuclease digestion. Results: The distribution of the most frequent genotypes in the diabetes group was E2/3 8.7%, E3/3 78.2'%, E3/4 12.8%, in the elderly group E2/3 9.2%, E3/3 78.6r/o, E3/4 12.2% and in the young group E2/3 11.9%, E3/3 62.4%, E3/4 24.8%. The frequencies of allele epsilon4 in the diabetes and in the elderly control group were significantly lower than in the young control group (both P < 0.05). Associations were found between the epsilon4 allele and increased triglyceride level in the diabetes group, the epsilon2 allele and decreased total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels both in the elderly and young control groups (both P < 0.01). Conclusion: The lower frequency of allele epsilon4 in both the elderly and diabetes groups, may be explained by an increased morbidity and mortality in middle-aged carriers of apo epsilon4 allele. The increased risk of epsilon4 carriers in Type 2 diabetes may be partly mediated by a higher triglyceride level. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.