APOLIPOPROTEIN-E GENOTYPES AND RISK OF DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY

Genetic susceptibility contributes to the development of diabetic neph ropathy. In considering potentially important genetic factors, this st udy examined the association between genetic polymorphisms in apolipop rotein (apo) E and diabetic nephropathy in 146 patients with insulin-d ependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) of 15 to 21 years' duration. Using a casecontrol study design, patients with proteinuria (N = 41) (albumin excretion rate (AER) greater than or equal to 250 mu g/min) and patie nts with microalbuminuria (N = 31) (AER 20 to 250 mu g/min) were compa red with patients who had normoalbuminuria (N = 74) (AER <20 mu g/min) . Genetic polymorphisms at the apo E locus were identified by the meth od of denaturing gradient-gel electrophoresis. There was no significan t difference in allele frequencies in the proteinuric, microalbuminuri c, or normoalbuminuric groups (e2 7.3%, 9.7%, 9.5%; e3 78.1%, 72.6%, 6 8.2%; e4 14.6%, 17.7%, 22.3%; respectively), The distribution of the a po E genotypes among the three groups of patients was also similar. Th ese results suggest that apo E genotypes are not associated with the d evelopment of early or advanced diabetic nephropathy in patients with IDDM.