The effects of genetic polymorphisms of APOE on circulating lipid levels in middle-aged and elderly chinese Fujian Han population: toward age- and sex-personalized management

Abstract

Abstract Background Increased evidence has reported the association of genetic polymorphisms of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) with serum lipids. However, few studies have explored the combined effects of APOE, gender, and age. Methods A total of 1,419 middle-aged and elderly subjects were randomly selected and studied. The APOE genotypes and the serum lipids were detected. The effects of APOE, gender, and age on serum lipids were preliminarily observed in general. The subjects were then divided into the middle-aged group (40–64 years old) and the elderly group (≥ 65 years old), for both males and females, to explore the combined effects of the APOE, gender, and age on serum lipids. Finally, a multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the associations between the APOE allele carriers and the at-risk levels of dyslipidemia. Results The serum TC, LDL-C, and ApoB in the ε2 carriers were lower than the ε3 carriers (all P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the ε4 carriers compared to the ε3 carriers in general (all P > 0.05). The serum LDL-C and ApoB of the ε2 carriers were lower than the noncarriers in the middle-aged and elderly males (all P < 0.05). The serum TC in the ε2 carriers was lower than the noncarriers only in middle-aged males (P < 0.05). As to the levels of serum HDL-C and ApoA1, the ε2 carriers were higher than the noncarriers in middle-aged females (all P < 0.05), and the ε4 carriers were lower than noncarriers in middle-aged males (P < 0.05). Especially, the serum TG in the ε4 carriers was significantly higher than the noncarriers in elderly females. The logistic regression analysis indicated that the ε2 carriers were less likely to have at-risk levels of high LDL-C in middle-aged and elderly males (all P < 0.05) versus low HDL-C in middle-aged females (P < 0.05). In contrast, the ε4 carriers were more likely to have at-risk levels of high TG in elderly females (P < 0.05). Conclusions The effects of the genetic polymorphisms of APOE on the serum lipids were both gender- and age-dependent in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese Fujian Han population.