Background: Variation at the apolipoprotein E (apo E) locus influence lipid and lipoprotein levels in the normal population, and is associated with premature coronary artery disease. Patients with end-stage kidney disease or undergoing dialysis treatment are particularly prone to develop accelerated atherosclerosis.
Methods: To evaluate the influence of genetic variation at the apo E locus, apo E genotypes and serum lipid and lipoprotein levels were measured in 51 subjects undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).
Results: The distribution of apo E phenotypes and apo E allelic frequency among the CAPD subjects (epsilon 2 0.049; epsilon 3 0.745: epsilon 4 0.206) corresponded to the healthy Swedish population. In the CAPD subjects, total serum and LDL cholesterol levels were high (6.7 +/- 1.5 mmol/l and 4.2 +/- 1.3 mmol/l respectively) and HDL cholesterol levels were low (1.2 +/- 0.5 mmol/l). When directly comparing the two major apo E groups. E 3/3 subjects (n = 30) and E4/3 and 4/4 subjects, epsilon 4-carriers, (n = 16), LDL cholesterol levels were significantly higher among epsilon 4-carriers (4.8 +/- 1.1 vs 4.0 +/- 1.2 mmol/l, P < 0.03), but total serum cholesterol levels was not higher among the epsilon 4-carriers (7.3 +/- 1.3 vs 6.5 +/- 1.5 mmol/l, P < 0.08). Serum triglycerides or HDL cholesterol levels did not differ significantly between epsilon 3-homozygotes and epsilon 4-carriers.
Conclusions: The results demonstrate a strong effect of variation of the apo E locus on LDL cholesterol levels in CAPD subjects, suggesting that epsilon 4-carriers may be more susceptible to accelerated development of atherosclerosis in this condition.