Associations of cognitive function with APOE gene polymorphism and chronic diseases among long-lived people in Zhongxiang City of Hubei Province

Abstract

Objective To investigate the associations of cognitive function with apolipoprotein E(APOE)gene polymorphism and chronic diseases among long-lived people in Zhongxiang City of Hubei Province. Methods A total of 110 long-lived elderly residents aged 90 years and over were collected.Their cognitive function was determined face-to-face using questionnaires by trained interviewers.According to mini-mental state examination(MMSE)scores, subjects were divided into a no dementia risk group and a high dementia risk group.General demographic characteristics, activities of daily living, depression state and nutrition status were compared between the two groups.Correlations of dementia with APOE gene polymorphism and chronic diseases were analyzed. Results The average MMSE score was 22.3±4.8.Among the 110 long-lived people, 18 cases had a high risk for dementia, accounting for 16.4%, and 92 cases had no risk of dementia, accounting for 83.6%.The risk of dementia in long-lived elderly people was correlated with activities of daily living, mental state, nutritional status and falls(all P 0.05). Conclusions Cognitive function is highly correlated with activities of daily living, mental state and nutritional status among long-lived elderly people in Zhongxiang City.The risk of dementia has a correlation with the APOE gene e4/e3 genotype but not with chronic diseases in long-lived people. Key words: Longevity; Cognitive function; APOE gene; Chronic diseases