Gene Dose of Apolipoprotein E Type 4 Allele and the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease in Late Onset Families
Abstract
The apolipoprotein E type 4 allele (APOE-ɛ 4) is genetically associated with the common late onset familial and sporadic forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Risk for AD increased from 20% to 90% and mean age at onset decreased from 84 to 68 years with increasing number of APOE-ɛ 4 alleles in 42 families with late onset AD. Thus APOE-ɛ 4 gene dose is a major risk factor for late onset AD and, in these families, homozygosity for APOE-ɛ 4 was virtually sufficient to cause AD by age 80.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- August 1993
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.8346443
- Bibcode:
- 1993Sci...261..921C