APOE ε4 and Alzheimer's disease: Positive association in a Colombian clinical series and review of the Latin-American studies

Objective: As the strength of the association between the APOE ε4 allele and Alzheimer's disease (AD) varies across ethnic groups, we studied if there was such an association in Colombian patients. Method: We performed apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping in a clinical sample of 83 unrelated AD patients, predominantly late-onset (>65 yrs) including familial (n =30) and sporadic AD cases (n= 53) diagnosed according to NINCDSADRDA criteria and assessed by a multi-disciplinary team. Control subjects (n = 44) had no significant cognitive impairment by medical interview and neuro-psychological testing. Results: We found a high association (OR= 5.1 95%Cl 1.9 -13.6) between APOE ε4 and AD, in this series with predominantly late-onset cases with familial aggregation in 24 cases (28.9%). A significant negative association was found between ε2 and AD (OR= 0.2 95% Cl 0.05-0.75). Conclusion: Further population-based surveys in Colombia are warranted to precise a possible dose effect of APOE ε4.