Abstract
BackgroundIncreased evidence has reported the association of genetic polymorphisms of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) with serum lipids. However, few studies have explored the combined effects of APOE, gender, and age.MethodsA total of 1,419 middle-aged and elderly subjects were randomly selected and studied. The APOE genotypes and the serum lipids were detected. The effects of APOE, gender, and age on serum lipids were preliminarily observed in general. The subjects were then divided into the middle-aged group (40–64 years old) and the elderly group (≥ 65 years old), for both males and females, to explore the combined effects of the APOE, gender, and age on serum lipids. Finally, a multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the associations between the APOE allele carriers and the at-risk levels of dyslipidemia.ResultsThe serum TC, LDL-C, and ApoB in the ε2 carriers were lower than the ε3 carriers (all P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the ε4 carriers compared to the ε3 carriers in general (all P > 0.05). The serum LDL-C and ApoB of the ε2 carriers were lower than the noncarriers in the middle-aged and elderly males (all P < 0.05). The serum TC in the ε2 carriers was lower than the noncarriers only in middle-aged males (P < 0.05). As to the levels of serum HDL-C and ApoA1, the ε2 carriers were higher than the noncarriers in middle-aged females (all P < 0.05), and the ε4 carriers were lower than noncarriers in middle-aged males (P < 0.05). Especially, the serum TG in the ε4 carriers was significantly higher than the noncarriers in elderly females. The logistic regression analysis indicated that the ε2 carriers were less likely to have at-risk levels of high LDL-C in middle-aged and elderly males (all P < 0.05) versus low HDL-C in middle-aged females (P < 0.05). In contrast, the ε4 carriers were more likely to have at-risk levels of high TG in elderly females (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe effects of the genetic polymorphisms of APOE on the serum lipids were both gender- and age-dependent in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese Fujian Han population.
Highlights
With the acceleration of China’s aging population, the health of the elderly has attracted more and more attention [1]
This study aimed to explore the effects of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genetic polymorphisms on serum lipids in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese Han population of Fujian Province and observed whether these effects exhibit gender-and age-specificity during aging
As to the profiles of serum lipids, the serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), ApoA1, and the ratio of ApoA1 and Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) in females were higher than males, while the serum TG in males was significantly higher than in females (P < 0.05)
Summary
With the acceleration of China’s aging population, the health of the elderly has attracted more and more attention [1]. The aging population will endure more chronic medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and stroke, which have become the major morbidity and mortality [2]. The studies from twins and families suggest that the genetic factors are involved in the variation of serum lipids [5, 6]. The APOE gene, as a commonly investigated polymorphic genetic marker, encoded three major alleles: ε2, ε3, and ε4, composed of six genotypes: ε3/ε3, ε3/ε4, ε2/ε3, ε2/ε4, ε2/ε2, and ε4/ ε4. Previous studies have shown that serum lipids are under genetic influence by the APOE polymorphisms [9,10,11]. Increased evidence has reported the association of genetic polymorphisms of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) with serum lipids. Few studies have explored the combined effects of APOE, gender, and age
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