Homozygosity in the APOE 3 Polymorphism Is Associated With Less Depression and Higher Serum Low-Density Lipoprotein in Chinese Elderly Schizophrenics.

Background: Depressive symptoms are common comorbidities in schizophrenia. However, the effect of APOE E3 on depressive symptoms has never been investigated in an aging Chinese population with schizophrenia. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the effects of APOE E3 on blood lipid metabolism and depressive symptoms in elderly schizophrenics in China. Methods: Three Hundred and one elderly schizophrenics (161 males, age ranges from 60 to 92 years, with an average age of 67.31 ± 6.667) were included in the study. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). APOE gene polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We assessed the correlations of GDS and serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) with APOE genotypes. Results: The concentration of LDL in the Homozygous APOE E3 group was significantly higher than that in the non-homozygous APOE E3 group, while the scores of GDS of the Homozygous APOE E3 group were lower than that in the non-homozygous APOE E3 group. Using partial correlation analysis and controlling age, gender, duration of disease, and hyperlipidemia, we found that the scores of GDS were significantly correlated with LDL (r = −0.194, p = 0.016). Conclusions: APOE E3 is associated with less depressive symptoms and higher serum LDL in Chinese elderly patients with schizophrenia, and there is a negative correlation between depressive symptoms and LDL.

背景：抑郁症状是精神分裂症常见的合并症。然而，在中国老年精神分裂症人群中，载脂蛋白E3（APOE E3）对抑郁症状的影响从未被研究过。这项横断面研究旨在探讨APOE E3对中国老年精神分裂症患者血脂代谢和抑郁症状的影响。 方法：301名老年精神分裂症患者（161名男性，年龄范围为60 - 92岁，平均年龄67.31 ± 6.667岁）被纳入研究。使用老年抑郁量表（GDS）评估抑郁症状。通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）确定APOE基因多态性。我们评估了GDS和血清低密度脂蛋白（LDL）与APOE基因型的相关性。 结果：纯合子APOE E3组的LDL浓度显著高于非纯合子APOE E3组，而纯合子APOE E3组的GDS评分低于非纯合子APOE E3组。通过偏相关分析并控制年龄、性别、病程和高脂血症，我们发现GDS评分与LDL显著相关（r = -0.194，p = 0.016）。 结论：在中国老年精神分裂症患者中，APOE E3与较少的抑郁症状和较高的血清LDL相关，并且抑郁症状与LDL之间呈负相关。