NO ASSOCIATION BETWEEN APOLIPOPROTEIN-E EPSILON-4 ALLELE AND THE AGE-OF-ONSET IN TYPE-I FAMILIAL AMYLOID POLYNEUROPATHY

It has been shown that the Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) epsilon 4 allele in creases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and lowers the age of its onset. ApoE has also been suggested to be a common facilit ating factor in the different types of amyloidoses. However, the assoc iation of ApoE epsilon 4 with the onset of disease in various types of amyloidoses has not been extensively investigated. Type I familial am yloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is one form of systemic amyloidosis in whic h ApoE co-localizes with amyloid deposits. We examined 54 patients wit h type I FAP and found that there was no significant effect of either ApoE epsilon 2 or epsilon 4 allele on the age at onset. Our results su ggest that ApoE4 is not a facilitating factor in the development of FA P, transthyretin amyloidosis.