Lack of Association Between Interleukin-1α Polymorphism and Alzheimer Disease or Vascular Dementia

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Abstract
Recently, a C/T polymorphism in the promoter region of the interleukin 1-α (IL-1α) gene (position −889) was reported to be associated with Alzheimer disease. In this study, the polymorphism of IL-1α was examined in patients with Alzheimer disease, vascular dementia, and nondemented controls in a Chinese population in Taiwan. No difference was found in the IL-1α T allele frequency among the three groups. The predominant polymorphic allele (˜90%) of IL-1α was the C allele. The APOE4 allele was overrepresented in the AD cohort. The presence of the APOE4 allele did not influence the IL-1α genotype or allele distribution. The prevalence of the IL-1α T allele, in particular the homozygous form, was lower than in whites and may account for the lack of association between IL-1α C/T polymorphism and Alzheimer disease among Chinese in Taiwan. The presence of the heterozygous IL-1α T allele cannot be used for distinguishing Alzheimer disease or vascular dementia from controls.