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

Abstract

Objective: To compare serum lipids and their changes during a family-based health education in children aged 6-17 years with or without the ε4 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 ε4 allele (genotype ε3/4 or ε4/4) and the non-risk group of 296 children without apoE ε4 allele (ε2/3 or ε3/3). 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 ε4 allele had on average a more unfavourable lipid profile than those without apoE ε4 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. © The Authors 2006.