Apolipoprotein E Gene Polymorphism and Risk for Coronary Heart Disease in the Chinese Population: A Meta-Analysis of 61 Studies Including 6634 Cases and 6393 Controls

Abstract

BackgroundNumerous studies have evaluated the association between the apolipoprotein E (apoE) gene polymorphisms in coronary heart disease (CHD). However, the results remain uncertain. We carried out a meta-analysis to derive a more comprehensive estimation of the association in Chinese population.MethodsCase-control studies in Chinese and English publications were identified by searching databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI, CBM, Wanfang, VIP and hand searching of relevant journals and the reference lists of retrieved articles. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were applied to assess the strength of the associations. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed to explore the between-study heterogeneity.ResultsWe finally identified 61 relevant studies which comprised 6634 case-patients and 6393 controls. The pooled OR for ε4 carriers was 96% higher than the ε3/3 genotype for CHD (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.70 to 2.24; P<0.001). However, there was no evidence of statistically significant association between ε2 carriers and risk of CHD (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.13; P = 0.729). In the subgroup analysis, different endpoints may partially account for the heterogeneity. No publication bias was found.ConclusionsOur meta-analysis suggests that the apoE ε4 allele may be a risk factor for CHD in the Chinese population, however, ε2 allele has no significant association.

ApoE Polymorphisms and the Risk of Different Subtypes of Stroke in the Chinese Population: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis

“…ApoE polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with various diseases, including type II diabetes, coronary artery disease [86,87] , hypertension [15] , Alzheimer's disease [88,89] , and dementia in Parkinson disease [90] . Recently, the associations between ApoE gene polymorphisms and the risk of different subtypes of stroke have been studied extensively [91][92][93] , but the results remain inconclusive, particularly in different ethnic groups and geographical locations.…”

Associations between <b><i>Apolipoprotein E</i></b> Gene Polymorphisms and Cardiovascular Complications of Uremic Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis

“…It was proven that high plasma concentration of LDL-C increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and HDL-C was beneficial for cardiovascular systems and kidney function and by extracting tissue cholesterol [33,34]. Another study suggested that ε4 increased the level of LDL-C and reduced the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the high-fat intake population [35]. Consistent with our study, Dekroon et al [36] also reported that through altering the components progression of metabolic syndrome, ε4 allele may exert a high risk on cardiovascular disease.…”

Association between apolipoprotein E polymorphisms and premature coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis

“…(Patients with genotypes ε2/3 and ε2/2 were included in ε2 carriers. Similarly, patients with genotypes ε4/3 and ε4/4 were included in ε4 carriers) [16]. The distribution of genotypes was examined by χ 2 -test to test if it fulfilled the HWE criteria.…”

“…Although several recent meta-analyses explored the genetic risk of APOE polymorphisms in CAD [14][15][16], our analysis was the first comprehensive assessment in PCAD. Merging the data of all eligible publications revealed that subjects with the ε4 allele conferred 62% more predisposition to PCAD, while ε4 carriers had 65% higher risk for PCAD.…”

“…The analysis conducted by Hong Xu found that the ε2 allele in APOE decreased the prevalence of myocardial infarction while the ε4 allele increased the incidence [14]. Two other meta-analyses conducted in the Chinese population also found a high risk of the ε4 allele for CAD [15,16]. However, no meta-analysis explored the genetic risk of APOE in PCAD.…”