Association between apolipoprotein E-polymorphism and Ischemic heart disease patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus: a preliminary study in Kuwait.

BACKGROUND We investigated the association between apolipoprotein E polymorphism and ischemic heart disease with or without type 2 diabetes in Kuwait and examined the impact of apolipoprotein E polymorphism in diabetic patients. METHODS The present study was conducted from January 2005 to June 2006 in the Diabetic Clinic of Al-Amiri and Al-Sabah Hospitals in Kuwait City. Apolipoprotein E polymorphism was assessed in 250 subjects of which 83 were ischemic heart disease patients (41 diabetic and 42 non-diabetic) and 105 were diabetic patients without ischemic heart disease. Results were compared with 62 healthy controls. Apolipoprotein E polymorphisms were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS Apolipoprotein E3 allele was the most commonly occurring form. The frequency of apolipoprotein E4 was higher in ischemic heart disease patients with type 2 diabetes (39%) and the non-diabetic (31%) group, but lower in the diabetic (20%) and control groups (16%). CONCLUSION Apolipoprotein E4 allele may be related to the development of ischemic heart disease in patients with or without type 2 diabetes in Kuwait.  However, future studies with larger population sizes are needed to establish such relationship.