Objective: To investigate the frequency of apolipoprotein E (apoE) alleles
among women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Methods: The presen
ce of the three most common apoE alleles (epsilon 2, epsilon 3, epsilon 4)
was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length pol
ymorphism in two groups of women: healthy pregnant women (n = 47) and pregn
ant women with a diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (n = 44
). In addition, the frequencies of the alleles in the general population in
our area are presented for comparison. Results: The frequency of the apo e
psilon 4 allele was 21.6% among women with intrahepatic cholestasis and it
was 16.0% among healthy pregnant women (Fisher exact test; P=0.216), which
is close to the rate in the general population in our area (19%). None of t
he apoE genotypes was significantly over-represented, and homozygous genoty
pe epsilon 4 was not associated with more severe clinical disease than othe
r genotypes. Conclusion: The observed profiles of allele and genotype frequ
encies confirm the equilibrium state between apoE polymorphism and obstetri
c cholestasis and suggest that apoE does not play a major role in the devel
opment of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.