Clustering and age of onset in familial late onset Alzheimer`s disease are determined at the apoliopoprotein E locus
- St. Mary`s Hospital Medical School, London (United Kingdom)
Recent work has demonstrated that the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype is of great importance in the etiology of Alzheimer`s disease (AD). Thus, inheritance of the ApoE4 allele predisposes to the occurrences of late onset disease and decreases the onset age in families with pathogenic mutations in the amyloid precursor protein gene. We analysed ApoE genotypes in 35 families multiply affected by AD and confirm that familial clustering in late onset AD is associated with the ApoE4 allele. This allele occurs in the great majority (82%) of late onset familial Alzheimer cases. Elderly unaffected sibs (80-90 years) have an allele frequency that is not significantly different to that of normal controls. Data presented from our family sets together previously published data is suggestive that the effect of a single ApoE4 allele is to increase the risk of developing AD by an amount equivalent to 5 years and that the effect of ApoE4 homozygosity is to increase the risk of developing AD by an amount equivalent to 10 years of age. Data shows significant difference between the frequency of the ApoE4 allele in the familial AD probands and controls and in both sets of unaffected sibs, p<0.01.
- OSTI ID:
- 133904
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941009--
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Human Genetics, Journal Name: American Journal of Human Genetics Journal Issue: Suppl.3 Vol. 55; ISSN AJHGAG; ISSN 0002-9297
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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