What do you need to do if you don’t want to suffer from ischemic cardiomyopathy?
We already know well that ischemic cardiomyopathy is linked to blood cholesterol levels. A high level of LDL-c cholesterol is linked to and contributes to risk of developing coronary artery disease. Excess LDL-c will form in the coronary arteries. Known as fibrous plaque, they cause arteries to narrow, and the most dangerous sites where this can occur are the coronary arteries, which can lead to decreased blood supply to the heart muscles. Research abroad has shown that the ApoE gene influences LDL-c levels due to genetic abnormalities related to the protein and lipid known as ApoE. This condition is known as familial dysbetalipoproteinemia (FDBL), and patients will have high triglyceride and high cholesterol levels, which increase risk of developing ischemic cardiomyopathy.
Getting to Know ApoE
Apolioprotein E or ApoE is a protein that is found in the bloodstream. It works to transport lipids such as cholesterol and triglycerides. ApoE functions to transport lipids from the body’s cells to the liver. In addition, ApoE also affects the function of enzymes that help remove lipids from the body. The function of ApoE depends on the diversity of the ApoE gene, which has the ability to create 3 types of proteins, namely, E2, E3 and E4. The genetics for creating different types of ApoE contribute differently to the body’s ability to transport lipids. Thus, differences in ApoE genes contribute to different cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. The expression of ApoE genes happens through the combination of different types of ApoE genes. Each person has two ApoE genes that may be identical or different to each other. Accordingly, genetic diversity allows up to 6 different possible combinations of the genes as follows: E2 / E2, E2 / E3, E2 / E4, E3 / E3, E3 / E4 and E4 / E4, with E3/E3 being the most common type in the population.
ApoE is linked to heart disease.
You might know that your blood cholesterol levels impact risk of ischemic cardiomyopathy, and high LDL cholesterol and high triglyceride levels will increase your risk. However, ApoE helps eliminate bad cholesterol from your body. Scientists have conducted research and found that ApoE is linked to the development of ischemic cardiomyopathy. If you have gene types E2 / E4 or E3 / E3, you will have lower risk of developing ischemic cardiomyopathy than people with types E3 / E4 or E4 / E4, who are at very high risk of developing ischemic cardiomyopathy and possibly high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels. Meanwhile, people with gene types E2 / E2 or E2 / E3 are at medium risk of developing the condition and may have high triglyceride levels but low cholesterol levels.
Why should we test the ApoE gene?
Knowing your ApoE gene type can help you modify your lifestyles and receive treatment through cholesterol-lowering drugs. People with gene types E2 / E2 or E2 / E3 will respond better to treatment with statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs, while people with gene types E3 / E4 or E4 / E4 will respond poorly to use of cholesterol-lowering drugs. Meanwhile, people with gene types E3 / E4 or E4 / E4 will experience the greatest reduction in LDL (bad cholesterol) levels when they consume low fat foods. Furthermore, smokers with gene types E3 / E4 or E4 / E4 experience much greater risk of heart disease than non-smokers or smokers with gene types E2 / E4 or E3 / E3.
Procedure for Screening for Abnormalities in the ApoE Gene
You can receive an ApoE genetic testing at any time. A blood sample of 6 ml. will be collected and put into a test tube. Then DNA will be extracted from the blood sample before proceeding with the test. Otherwise, the test can be performed at the same time as a lipid or cholesterol test, and in patients who are prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs whose cholesterol levels remain unchanged, ApoE can help provide you with insights that will enable to modify your lifestyle and dietary habits, in addition to enabling your doctor to adjust treatment plants in patients receiving cholesterol-lowering drugs.
