Association of the APOE, MTHFR and ACE genes polymorphisms and stroke in Zambian patients

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of <em>APOE</em>, <em>MTHFR</em> and <em>ACE</em> polymorphisms with stroke in the Zambian population. We analyzed 41 stroke patients and 116 control subjects all of Zambian origin for associations between the genotype of the <em>APOE</em>, <em>MTHFR</em> and <em>ACE</em> polymorphisms and stroke. The <em>APOE</em> ε2ε4 genotype showed increased risk for hemorrhagic stroke (P&lt;0.05) and also a high risk for ischemic stroke (P=0.05). There was complete absence of the <em>APOE</em> ε2ε2 and the <em>MTHFR</em> TT genotypes in the Zambian population. The difference between cases and controls was not significant for the other genetic variants when analyzed for relationship between stroke, stroke subtype and genotype. We show that genetic variation at the <em>APOE locus</em> affects susceptibility to stroke. No detectable association were observed for the <em>MTHFR</em> and <em>ACE</em> genotypes and stroke in the Zambian population.