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Apolipoprotein E type 4 allele and Alzheimer's disease: Effect on age at onset and relative risk in different age groups

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Abstract

The effect of the apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotype on the age at onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the relative risk conferred by the apoE ε4 allele were studied in 91 patients and 69 healthy age-matched controls. According to the age of presentation, which varied from 44 to 95 years, subjects were divided into four groups. The inheritance of at least one ɛ4 allele was associated with a significant reduction of the age at onset by 7.7 years among patients who were 83 years or older when examined. A weaker inverse relationship between the ɛ4 allele and the age at onset was also observed among patients who were aged 44–63 years at presentation. The effect of the c4 allele was minimal or absent in the two intermediate age categories. The relative risk of AD conferred by the inheritance of at least one £4 allele showed no consistent age-related pattern. The overall risk expressed as an odds ratio was 5.0 (95% CI 2.4–10.5). With respect to the limitations of the study, we tentatively conclude (1) that the effect of the apoE ɛ4 allele on the age at onset is not restricted to AD patients of a particular age, in accordance with current hypotheses on the role of apoE gene products in the biology of AD; (2) that the relative risk of AD associated with the ɛ4 allele is not significantly modulated by age. Although the apoE ɛ4 allele is an important susceptibility factor for AD occurring in middle age as well as in later life, it is of limited value in routine clinical diagnosis and should not be used for predictive testing in asymptomatic individuals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatrische Klinik der Technischen Universität, Möhlstrasse 26, D-81675, Munich, Germany

    Alexander Kurz, Nicola Lautenschlager, Reinhilde Zimmer & Hans Lauter

  2. Institut für Medizinische Statistik und Epidemiologie der Technischen Universität Munich, Germany

    Raymonde Busch

  3. Institut für Humangenetik, Justus-Liebig Universität, Giessen, Germany

    Klaus Altland, Ina Gerundt & Ulrich Müller

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  1. Alexander Kurz
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  2. Klaus Altland
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  3. Nicola Lautenschlager
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  4. Reinhilde Zimmer
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  8. Ulrich Müller
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Correspondence to Alexander Kurz.

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Kurz, A., Altland, K., Lautenschlager, N. et al. Apolipoprotein E type 4 allele and Alzheimer's disease: Effect on age at onset and relative risk in different age groups. J Neurol 243, 452–456 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00900498

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00900498

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