Objective: Assessment of apolipoprotein E genotype, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels in different types of dementia.
Subjects: 102 consecutive referrals to an old age psychiatry service based at Manchester were classified according to clinical criteria based on ICD 10.
Results: Thirty-seven were considered to have Alzheimer's disease, 16 multi-infarct dementia and 33 to be free from dementia. Sixteen patients, in whom a definitive diagnosis could not be reached or sufficient information was not available, were excluded from the study. There was an increase in the prevalence of the Apo E4 allele in both Alzheimer's disease (chi 2 = 3.82, p < 0.05) and multi-infarct dementia (chi 2 = 1.93, p < 0. = 0.16) by Wald tests compared to individuals without dementia. The increased prevalence of the E4 Allele in multi-infarct dementia was not related to serum lipid levels.
Conclusion: The hypothesis that the onset of multi-infarct dementia may be precipitated by E4's mediation of higher serum cholesterol levels is not supported by the present study.