Department of Medical Biology, Ege University Medical School, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey.
Endocrine. 2012 Jun;41(3):465-72. doi: 10.1007/s12020-011-9585-8. Epub 2011 Dec 27.
Acromegaly is a syndrome that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone after epiphyseal closure at puberty. Usually, subjects with acromegaly exhibit a 2- to 3-fold higher mortality rate from diseases that are associated with cardiovascular complications when compared to the normal population. In this study, we therefore aimed to evaluate whether a well-established cardiovascular risk factor, the Apolipoprotein E (Apo E) genotype, contributes to increased risk of cardiovascular complications in subjects with acromegaly. A total of 102 unrelated acromegaly subjects were prospectively included into this case-control association study and constituted our study group. The study group was comparable by age and gender with 200 unrelated healthy subjects constituting our control group. Genomic DNA was isolated from the peripheral blood leukocytes of all subjects and Apo E genotype (codon 112/158) was assessed by melting temperature analyses after using a real-time PCR protocol. The Apolipoprotein E4 allele was found at a significantly higher frequency in the study group when compared with the control group (P = 0.032). Subjects with the E2 allele, on the other hand, had significantly increased values in body mass index (P = 0.004), waist circumference (P = 0.001), C-reactive protein (CRP) (P < 0.001), and left-side carotid intima media thickness (P = 0.025). The Apolipoprotein E2 genotype might contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular complications in subjects with acromegaly since it is concurrently present with other cardiovascular risk factors such as the left-side carotid intima media thickness and CRP.
肢端肥大症是一种综合征，当青春期后垂体腺产生过多的生长激素时就会发生。通常，与正常人群相比，肢端肥大症患者由于与心血管并发症相关的疾病而导致的死亡率高出 2-3 倍。在这项研究中，我们因此旨在评估是否存在一种既定的心血管危险因素，即载脂蛋白 E（Apo E）基因型，会导致肢端肥大症患者心血管并发症风险增加。总共前瞻性地纳入了 102 名无关的肢端肥大症患者作为病例对照关联研究，并构成了我们的研究组。研究组在年龄和性别上与由 200 名无关的健康受试者组成的对照组相匹配。从所有受试者的外周血白细胞中分离基因组 DNA，并使用实时 PCR 方案通过融解温度分析评估 Apo E 基因型（112/158 密码子）。与对照组相比，研究组中载脂蛋白 E4 等位基因的频率明显更高（P = 0.032）。另一方面，携带 E2 等位基因的受试者的体重指数（P = 0.004）、腰围（P = 0.001）、C 反应蛋白（CRP）（P < 0.001）和左侧颈动脉内膜中层厚度（P = 0.025）值显著增加。载脂蛋白 E2 基因型可能会增加肢端肥大症患者发生心血管并发症的风险，因为它与其他心血管危险因素如左侧颈动脉内膜中层厚度和 CRP 同时存在。
