Abstract

BACKGROUND
The pathophysiological causes for the development and progression of diabetic microangiopathy are not well known, but the apo E genetic polymorphism has been proposed to be involved in the disease's development and progression. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the apo E genetic polymorphism and diabetic microangiopathy in Korean type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: One hundred eighteen patients with type 2 diabetes who had a duration of diabetes longer than 8 years were divided into the three apo E groups (the E2, E3 and E4 groups). The plasma levels of lipids were measured. The frequency of diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy were compared among the three apo E genotype groups. RESULTS: The frequency of overt nephropathy was significantly greater for the apo E2 patients with diabetes (46.7%) than for the apo E3 (16.7%) or apo E4 patients (10.5%). Logistical regression analysis showed that the odds ratio of the apo E2 and apo E4 genotypes for the presence of overt nephropathy were 4.779 (P < 0.01) and 0.643 (P = 0.583), respectively. Plasma TG levels were significantly greater for the apo E2 patients. This study did not find any association between diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy and apo E polymorphism. CONCLUSION: Apo E2 is a positive risk factor for diabetic nephropathy in Korean type 2 diabetic patients. TG may have an important role in diabetic nephropathy.

• Keywords: Apolipoprotein E genetic polymorphism;Type 2 diabetes;Diabetic microangiopathy;