Apolipoprotein E polymorphism and changes in serum lipids during a family-based counselling intervention.

OBJECTIVE

To compare serum lipids and their changes during a family-based health education in children aged 6-17 years with or without the epsilon4 allele of the gene encoding apolipoprotein E (apoE).

DESIGN

An intervention study.

SETTING

A family-based prevention of risk factors of coronary heart disease in Eastern Finland. The programme consisted of two counselling meetings at children's schools and three at children's homes.

SUBJECTS

Four hundred and thirty-nine children with a family history of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) participated in a family-based health education. The children were divided into two groups according to apoE genotype. The risk group consisted of 143 children having apoE epsilon4 allele (genotype epsilon3/4 or epsilon4/4) and the non-risk group of 296 children without apoE epsilon4 allele (epsilon2/3 or epsilon3/3). The final sample of the follow-up study included 354 (81%) children (114 and 240, respectively).

RESULTS

Baseline differences were found in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (P=0.007) and LDL-C/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (P=0.030) among boys and in total cholesterol (TC)/HDL-C (P=0.008) and LDL-C/HDL-C ratios (P=0.006) among girls. Differences between groups in changes during the follow-up were observed only for TC/HDL-C ratio (P-value adjusted for age=0.049) among boys.

CONCLUSIONS

At baseline, children with apoE epsilon4 allele had on average a more unfavourable lipid profile than those without apoE epsilon4 allele. However, the effect of about 33 months' family-based health education on plasma lipids did not depend on apoE genotype in children with a family history of CVD.