APOLIPOPROTEIN-E GENOTYPE IN SENILE DEMENTIA AND DOWNS-SYNDROME

Apolipoprotein E genotypes were determined in 30 healthy elderly contr ols, 42 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 13 subjects with vascular d ementia and 31 individuals with Down's syndrome. The frequency of epsi lon 4 allele carriers was significantly increased in the Alzheimer's d isease group (chi(2) = 4.918, P < 0.05) but also in the vascular demen tia subjects (P < 0.01, Fisher's exact test). The established relation ship between genotype and age at onset of Alzheimer's disease was not statistically significant in these data. Frequencies of the genotypes in the Down's syndrome group did not differ from those of controls. Th e results obtained in this sample of the Italian population suggest th at the apolipoprotein E genotype may be of limited use in the differen tial diagnosis of dementia. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.