Apolipoprotein E Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated with Primary Hyperuricemia in a Chinese Population

Objective: Primary hyperuricemia, an excess of uric acid in the blood, is a major public health problem. In addition to the morbidity that is attributable to gout, hyperuricemia is also associated with metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. This study aims to assess the genetic associations between Apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphisms and hyperuricemia in a Chinese population. Methods: A total of 770 subjects (356 hyperuricemic cases and 414 normouricemic controls) were recruited from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. A physical examination was performed and fasting blood was collected for biochemical tests, including determination of the levels of serum lipid, creatinine, and uric acid. Multi-ARMS PCR was applied to determine the APOE genotypes, followed by an investigation of the distribution of APOE genotypes and alleles frequencies in the controls and cases. Results: The frequencies of the APOE-epsilon 2 epsilon 3 genotype (17.70% vs. 10.39%, P=0.003) and the APOE-epsilon 2 allele (10.53% vs. 5.80%, P=0.001) were significantly higher in the hyperuricemic group than in the normouricemic group. Furthermore, male cases were more likely to have the APOE-epsilon 2 epsilon 3 genotype and APOE-epsilon 2 allele, compared with male controls. In both Han and Hui subjects, cases were more likely to have the APOE-epsilon 2 epsilon 3 genotype and the APOE-epsilon 2 allele compared with controls. Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression showed that carriers of the APOE-epsilon 2 epsilon 3 genotype (P=0.001, OR=2.194) and the epsilon 2 allele (P = 0.001, OR = 2.099) were significantly more likely to experience hyperuricemia than carriers of the epsilon 3/epsilon 3 genotype and the epsilon 3 allele after adjustment for sex, body mass index (BMI), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), creatinine (Cr) and fasting blood glucose(FBG). Conclusions: The APOE-epsilon 2 epsilon 3 genotype and the APOE-epsilon 2 allele are associated with serum uric acid levels in Chinese subjects, indicating that individuals carrying the APOE-epsilon 2 allele have a higher risk of hyperuricemia than non-carriers.