The apolipoprotein E ε4 allele and incident Alzheimer's disease in persons with mild cognitive impairment

Author： Aggarwal Neelum Wilson Robert beck Todd bienias Julia Berry-Kravis Elizabeth bennett David

ISSN： 1355-4794

Source： Neurocase, Vol.11, Iss.1, 2005-02, pp. : 3-7

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Abstract

Possession of one or more copies of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 allele is a known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), but it is uncertain whether the e4 allele is associated with disease incidence among persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We addressed this issue with data from the Religious Orders Study. Participants were 181 older Catholic clergy members who met criteria for MCI based on a uniform structured clinical evaluation; 56 (30.9%) had at least one e4 allele. Clinical evaluations, which included clinical classification of dementia and AD, were repeated annually. During a mean of 5.7 years of observation, 79 persons (43.6%) developed AD. In a proportional hazards model that controlled for age, sex, and education, possession of an e4 allele was associated with a 93% increase in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (95% CI: 1.02, 2.63). There was a marginally significant reduction in the effect of e4 in older compared to younger participants (p = .053). The results suggest that possession of an e4 allele does increase risk of AD in persons with MCI.