| pubmed-article:15186949 | pubmed:abstractText | The presence of the apolipoprotein (Apo) e4 allele is reported to be associated with the increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as the impairment of endothelium-dependent dilation in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Therefore, we hypothesized that the Apo e4 allele increases the death risk from coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetes. From January 1993 to December 1999, 36 type 2 diabetic patients with e4/4 or e4/3, 62 with e3/3 and 33 with e2/2 or e3/2 genotypes were recruited. All subjects were unrelated, elderly, type 2 diabetic patients with coronary artery disease, aged 60-84 years, with cardiac function at the Class I stage at time of enrollment. A follow-up study of 3-10 years was undergone. The results are as follows: At baseline, serum total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations were higher in subjects with e4/3 or e4/4 than in subjects with e2/2 or e3/2 (P = 0.026). Lipoprotein(a) concentration was lower in subjects with e2/2 or e3/2 than in subjects with e3/3 (P = 0.044) and e4/3 or e4/4 (P = 0.038). During the 3-10 years follow-up period, a total of 39 patients who died from CAD was recorded in this sample. Compared with patients with e3/3 (P = 0.030) and patients with e2/2 or e3/2 genotypes (P = 0.001), the mortality rate of CAD in patients with e4/3 or e4/4 genotypes was the highest (50%). Stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that in the diabetic population studied the Apo e4 allele was independently and significantly associated with CAD death (B = 0.64). However, the strength of the association decreased (B = 0.48) when total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) were included in the model. Therefore, we concluded that Apo e4 allele increases the risk of CAD death in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. | lld:pubmed |
