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Published on: October 12, 2017
Association between apolipoprotein E polymorphism, lipids, and coronary artery disease in Tunisian type 2 diabetes
Raja Chaaba1, Nebil Attia, Sonia Hammami
1Biochemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, CHU Monastir 5019, Tunisia.
Background:
The relationship between apolipoprotein E (ApoE) polymorphism, fasting lipid parameters, and coronary artery disease (CAD) is controversial.
Methods:
We studied this relationship, for the first time, in Tunisian type 2 diabetic patients. The studied population comprised 157 type 2 diabetic patients (145 of them were not on any lipid-lowering drugs). Fasting lipids were measured by enzymatic methods and ApoE genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.
Results:
Our results showed that the alleles E2, E3, and E4 were found in 4%, 88%, and 8% of patients, respectively. In the total type 2 diabetic population, no association was found between ApoE polymorphism, lipid parameters, and CAD. However, the E4 allele was associated with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration and with CAD in type 2 diabetic men.
Conclusion:
The effect of ApoE polymorphism on CAD is gender-dependent in the Tunisian type 2 diabetic population. ApoE 4 allele may enhance atherogenesis indirectly by a strong effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
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