Bmc Neurol
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
APOE epsilon 4 lowers age at onset and is a high risk factor for Alzheimer's disease; a case control study from central Norway.
The objective of this study was to analyze factors influencing the risk and timing of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in central Norway. The APOE epsilon4 allele is the only consistently identified risk factor for late onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). We have described the allele frequencies of the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) in a large population of patients with AD compared to the frequencies in a cognitively-normal control group, and estimated the effect of the APOE epsilon4 allele on the risk and the age at onset of AD in this population. ⋯ APOE epsilon4 is a very strong risk factor for AD in the population of central Norway, and lowers age at onset of LOAD significantly.