Coronary artery disease and apolipoprotein A-I/C-III gene polymorphism: a study of Saudi Arabians.

The infrequent band of 3.2-kb of the apolipoprotein A-I/C-III polymorphic region has previously been found to be associated with coronary artery disease and with hypertriglyceridaemia in Caucasians. We studied the apolipoprotein A-I/C-III gene cluster polymorphism in 97 Saudi Arabians in relation to coronary artery disease. Patients were categorized as being with or without coronary artery disease on the basis of coronary angiography. Genomic blotting of Sac I-digested chromosomal DNA with the use of an apolipoprotein A-I gene probe revealed 4.2-kb and 3.2-kb hybridization bands. The genotype frequency of patients with and without coronary artery disease was not different. The frequency of the 3.2-kb allele occurred in 16% of patients with coronary artery disease and in 21% of patients with normal coronary arteries (non-significant). In conclusion, we have not been able to confirm in Saudi Arabians associations previously reported in Caucasians of the 3.2-kb band and coronary artery disease.