Apolipoprotein E allele frequencies in argyrophilic grain disease

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotypes were analyzed in 35 subjects with argyrophilic grain disases (AgD). Neuropathologically, all cases were characterized by abundant argyrophilic grains in the hippocampus and in the entorhinal or parahippocampal cortex. We found an ApoE epsilon 4 allele frequency of 0.007 in Ago patients, which is significantly different from the epsilon 4 allele frequencies reported in age-matched Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients (0.24), but not from age-matched controls (0.09). We conclude that the ApoE epsilon 4 allele does not constitute a risk factor for the development of Ago. Our results further suggest that Ago is a progressive disorder differentiated from AD by morphological and genetic criteria.