Apolipoprotein E Gene Polymorphism in Indian Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia.

The association of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphism with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been reported in several populations including one from a rural community in North India. However, the association of ApoE polymorphism with vascular dementia (VaD) is yet to be established in this population. In a case-control study involving 54 cases of dementia (29 AD and 25 VaD) and 76 age-matched healthy controls, the frequency of ε4 allele was significantly higher among cases of AD and VaD compared with controls (p < 0.001). The ε3ε3 (p < 0.05) and ε2ε3 (p < 0.001) genotypes were found to be protective. The odds of developing AD or VaD were 4.4 and 3.7 times higher, respectively, in the presence of even a single ε4 allele. Our results suggest that the increased risk of developing AD or VaD is similar among Asian Indians with ApoE ε4 compared with the Caucasian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]