Association between apolipoprotein E genotype, chronic liver disease, and hepatitis B virus

Results: The e3 allele was the most common allele, with allele frequencies among the entire cohort of 5.8%, 84.3%, and 9.9% for the e2, e3, and e4 alleles, respectively. Significantly more of those patients carrying the e3/3 genotype had developed liver cirrhosis compared to the control subjects. Being an ApoE4 carrier was associated with a lower probability of developing liver cirrhosis. The allele frequencies and genotype distribution of ApoE did not differ significantly between the liver cirrhosis and HCC patients. The serum level of ApoE was significantly higher in patients with liver cirrhosis than in the healthy controls, but did not differ significantly with the ApoE genotype. Conclusions: The ApoE e3/3 genotype frequency was higher in patients with HBV-associated liver cirrhosis than in the controls. (Clin Mol Hepatol 2012;18:295-301)