Specific Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotypes are thought to be associated with risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is essential to understand how this genetic factor affects cognitive decline and dementia in the general population. One hundred and fifty elderly persons residing at social nursing centers in different provinces of Saudi Arabia were tested for ApoE genotypes, using PCR amplification of genomic DNA followed by DNA digestion with Cfo I. All subjects were diagnosed with regard to cognitive decline and dementia. In the general Saudi population, the ApoE4 allele was found to be a weaker predictor for dementia than for AD. This may be a result of non-AD pathological processes and/or of most prevalent dementia at an age when the ApoE4 effect on the AD/dementia risk has decreased.
ApoE; Alzheimer's disease; dementia; Saudi population
