Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous
system, with a complex etiology that includes a strong genetic component. The chromosome
19q 13 region surrounding the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene has shown consistent
evidence of involvement in MS. In a cross-sectional study, to show the APOE
genotype and allele frequency in the MS population of Iran in comparison with the
control group, we genotyped its polymorphisms (£2, £3 and £4 alleles). The authors
investigated 81 patients with clinically defInite MS and 93 asymptomatic elderly volunteers.
The frequency of the APOE allele in the MS population in comparison with
controls was 9.3% vs. 0.5% for £4,44.4% vs. 51.6% for £3, and 46.3% vs. 47.8%
for £2. The highest frequency of APOE genotype was from £2/£3 with 66.7% vs.
94.6% and the lowest, £4/£4 genotype with 2.5% vs. 0%. The authors found significant
differences in the distribution of £4 allele between patients with MS and controls
(9.3% vs. 0.5%; X2=15.2; df=2; pکلید واژگان :
Multiple sclerosis, apolipoprotein E, polymorphism, disease course, Iran
