One hundred patients were classified by coronary angiography: 80 patients with CAD and 20 controls (normal coronary angiography). Clinical data, carotid sonography, blood lipid profiles and ApoE genotyping (PCR-RFLP) were assessed.
CAD patients had significantly increased in plasma lipid profiles and carotid intimal-wall thickness (IMT) versus controls. In CAD patients, ApoE genotypes frequencies were E3/E3 = 62.50 % , E2/E3 = 18.75 % , E3/E4 = 17.50 % , E2/E4 = 1.25 % , E4/E4 = 0.0 % and E2/E2 = 0.0 % . But, E3/E4 genotype was significantly higher than controls (p < 0.05). Also, in CAD patients, ApoE alleles frequencies were E3 = 80.6 % , E2 = 10.0 % and E4 = 9.4 % but, ApoE4 alleles was associated with higher cholesterol (p < 0.05) and LDL-c (p < 0.01), while ApoE2 alleles was associated with higher triglycerides (p < 0.05) versus ApoE3 alleles. However, odds ratio of CAD patients had higher risk with E2/E3 genotypes (2.5-fold), E2 alleles (2.2-fold) and E4 alleles (2.1-fold). Moreover, CAD patients with ApoE4 alleles had significantly higher percentage of carotid IMT (1.23 ¡À 0.26 mm vs 1.10 ¡À 0.40 mm ApoE2; vs 0.97 ¡À 0.2 mm ApoE3 alleles; p = 0.006) and left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery stenosis (vs ApoE2 and ApoE3 alleles; p = 0.016).
Ischemic patients with carotid and coronary atherosclerosis had significantly higher integration of dyslipidemia and ApoE alleles (ApoE2 with hypertriglyceridemia and ApoE4 with hypercholesterolemia and higher LDL-c). ApoE polymorphism may be important as diagnostic risk biomarker and may implicate therapeutic intervention in atherosclerotic ischemic patients.