BACKGROUND: Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), which is measured by ultrasound, is used in the assessment of early atherosclerotic changes, and has been associated with apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphism in many studies comprising elderly subjects. However, results are still inconclusive and data relating to young adults are missing. Whether common APOE polymorphism is related to carotid IMT was studied in a population of young adults. Also brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and carotid artery compliance (CAC) were determined to clarify their relation to this genetic factor. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 1,188 young adults (aged 24-39 years) participating in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study with complete data of common APOE polymorphism underwent a carotid and brachial ultrasound. Patients' lipid levels and blood pressure were also examined. There was no significant association between the APOE phenotypes and carotid IMT, brachial FMD or CAC either in young men or in young women. The results were similar for systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In the same population, the well-known association between APOE phenotypes and lipids was seen. CONCLUSIONS: Common APOE polymorphism does not seem to be an independent genetic determinant of carotid IMT, brachial FMD or CAC.
BACKGROUND: Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), which is measured by ultrasound, is used in the assessment of early atherosclerotic changes, and has been associated with apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphism in many studies comprising elderly subjects. However, results are still inconclusive and data relating to young adults are missing. Whether common APOE polymorphism is related to carotid IMT was studied in a population of young adults. Also brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and carotid artery compliance (CAC) were determined to clarify their relation to this genetic factor. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 1,188 young adults (aged 24-39 years) participating in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study with complete data of common APOE polymorphism underwent a carotid and brachial ultrasound. Patients' lipid levels and blood pressure were also examined. There was no significant association between the APOE phenotypes and carotid IMT, brachial FMD or CAC either in young men or in young women. The results were similar for systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In the same population, the well-known association between APOE phenotypes and lipids was seen. CONCLUSIONS: Common APOE polymorphism does not seem to be an independent genetic determinant of carotid IMT, brachial FMD or CAC.
Authors: Tauseef A Khan; Tina Shah; David Prieto; Weili Zhang; Jackie Price; Gerald R Fowkes; Jackie Cooper; Philippa J Talmud; Steve E Humphries; Johan Sundstrom; Jaroslav A Hubacek; Shah Ebrahim; Debbie A Lawlor; Yoav Ben-Shlomo; Mohammad R Abdollahi; Arjen J C Slooter; Zoltan Szolnoki; Manjinder Sandhu; Nicholas Wareham; Ruth Frikke-Schmidt; Anne Tybjærg-Hansen; Gerda Fillenbaum; Bastiaan T Heijmans; Tomohiro Katsuya; Grazyna Gromadzka; Andrew Singleton; Luigi Ferrucci; John Hardy; Bradford Worrall; Stephen S Rich; Mar Matarin; John Whittaker; Tom R Gaunt; Peter Whincup; Richard Morris; John Deanfield; Ann Donald; George Davey Smith; Mika Kivimaki; Meena Kumari; Liam Smeeth; Kay-Tee Khaw; Michael Nalls; James Meschia; Kai Sun; Rutai Hui; Ian Day; Aroon D Hingorani; Juan P Casas Journal: Int J Epidemiol Date: 2013-04 Impact factor: 7.196