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Genetic polymorphisms in older subjects with vascular or Alzheimer's dementia
1Second Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ferrara, Long Term Division, Ca' Foncello Hospital, Treviso, Geriatric Division, S. Anna Hospital, Ferrara, Italy.
Objectives:
Paraoxonase, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), and apo E gene polymorphisms were evaluated in older patients with vascular dementia (VD) or late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD).
Material And Methods:
Sixty patients with VD, 45 patients with LOAD, and 54 non-demented controls were compared.
Results:
No differences in the distribution of paraoxonase, ACE, and MTHFR polymorphisms were found. The overall frequency of apo E epsilon4 allele was "low"; epsilon4 allele was more frequent in LOAD (17.5%) and VD (13.3%) compared with controls (9.2%), but the difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusion:
Paraoxonase, ACE, and MTHFR polymorphisms were not associated with VD or LOAD; these common polymorphisms might have a marginal role in the pathogenesis of dementia in older subjects. In spite of a "low" frequency of the apo E epsilon4 allele in our sample, the frequency of epsilon4 allele was about double in LOAD compared with controls.