ApoE varepsilon4 genotype and the age at onset of temporal lobe epilepsy: A case-control study and meta-analysis.

KAUFFMAN MARCELO; CONSALVO DAMIAN; GONZALEZ MORON DOLORES; PUJOL VIRGINIA; KOCHEN SILVIA

EPILEPSY RESEARCH

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2010 vol. 90 p. 234 - 239

0920-1211

In order to investigate the role of ApoE varepsilon4 as a modifier of the age at onset of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), we performed a molecular epidemiology study in 78 patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis. Genotyping was done by a PCR-RFLP assay. In order to better estimate the role of this variant as a modifier of the age at onset, we also performed a systematic review of the literature. We included our results into a meta-analysis along with data available from seven published studies with 728 patients that looked into the role of ApoE varepsilon4 in TLE. We found that ApoE varepsilon4 carriers in our population had a non-significant earlier age of epilepsy onset than non-carriers. The meta-analysis confirmed this finding, showing that ApoE varepsilon4 carriers had epilepsy onset almost 4 years earlier than non-carriers (mean difference 5.15 years; CI 95% 2.08-6.22; p=0.001). In conclusion, the ApoE varepsilon4 isoform is a genetic factor that might influence the age at onset of TLE.