Apolipoprotein E polymorphism and the risk of intracranial aneurysms in a Chinese population

Background: The relationship between the apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphism and intracranial aneurysms has previously only been studied in Russia and Japan but not in Chinese populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between APOE polymorphism and the risk of intracranial aneurysms in a Chinese population. Methods: The study population consisted of 150 intracranial aneurysms patients and 150 matched control subjects. The APOE gene polymorphism was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results: Patients with intracranial aneurysms had a significantly higher frequency of APOE E2/E2 genotype [odds ratio (OR) = 9.51, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.19, 76.04; P = 0.03] and APOE E2/E3 genotype (OR = 1.87, 95 % CI = 1.03, 3.40; P = 0.04) than healthy controls. The APOE E4/E4 genotype frequencies (OR = 0.09, 95 % CI = 0.01, 0.74; P = 0.03) in the intracranial aneurysms group were significantly lower than those in the controls group. When stratified by the site, shape, size and the Fisher Grade of intracranial aneurysms, no statistically significant result was observed. Conclusion: Our study suggested that APOE polymorphism might be associated with intracranial aneurysms in Chinese population. Additional studies are needed to confirm this finding.