APOE gene polymorphisms and response to statin therapy.

Zintzaras E, Kitsios GD, Triposkiadis F, et al. APOE gene polymorphisms and response to statin therapy. Pharmacogenomics J 2009 Jun 16. [Epub ahead of print]

doi:10.1038/tpj.2009.25

http://www.nature.com/tpj/journal/v9/n4/abs/tpj200925a.html
http://www.nature.com/tpj/journal/v9/n4/full/tpj200925a.html
http://www.nature.com/tpj/journal/v9/n4/pdf/tpj200925a.pdf

Keywords: statin, lipid, cholesterol, APOE, polymorphism, meta-analysis

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Pharmacogenomics J. 2009 Aug;9(4):248-57. Epub 2009 Jun 16.

APOE gene polymorphisms and response to statin therapy.

Zintzaras E, Kitsios GD, Triposkiadis F, Lau J, Raman G.
Department of Biomathematics, University of Thessaly School of Medicine, Larissa, Greece.

Published studies investigating the role of APOE gene on lipid response (total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides) to statin treatment have reported inconsistent results. A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the lipid response to statin treatment among APOE genetic variants (e2 carriers, e3e3 homozygotes and e4 carriers). Twenty-four studies were included in the meta-analyses. The pooled mean reduction (Delta mu) in TC from baseline was significant for all variants (e2 carriers: Delta mu=-27.7% (-32.5 to -22.8%), e3e3: Delta mu=-25.3% (-28.0 to -22.6%) and e4 carriers: Delta mu=-25.1% (-29.3 to -21.0%)). Significant changes in LDL-C, HDL-C and triglyceride levels were also noted for all genotypes, although these changes did not differ significantly among genotypic groups. There was significant heterogeneity among the studies. Given these non-significant effects of APOE genotypes on lipid responses, there is little reason to consider the use of APOE genetic testing for guiding treatment with statins.

PMID: 19529002