Association between the Polymorphism of Estrogen Receptor á and Alzheimer's Disease in Chinese Population

Abstract

To investigate the possible association between the polymorphism of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Chinese population. Cognitive function of patients with AD was evaluated with the Modified Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE). ERalpha polymorphism was detected in 236 AD patients and 236 control individuals. Logistic regression was used in age, body mass index, education, depression, hypertension, diabetes, history of stroke, smoking status, ApoE e4 carrier, and estrogen receptor a genotypes to calculate their odds ratios. There were no significant differences in PvuII allele and genotype between AD patients and control individuals. The frequencies of XbaI x allele and XbaI xx genotype were significantly higher in AD patients than in control individuals (chi2 = 28.116, df = 1, p < 0.0001 and chi2 = 16.628, df = 2, p < 0.0001, respectively). The odds ratio for the patients with xx genotype was 2.12 (95% CI = 1.63 - 2.76, p < 0.01). These findings suggest that ERalpha XbaI polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of AD in Chinese population. More research is needed to determine the mechanism by which ERalpha polymorphisms is associated with AD.