Maternal apolipoprotein E genotype as a potential risk factor for poor birth outcomes: the Bogalusa Heart Study

Objective:the objective of this study was to assess the association between apolipoprotein e (apoe) genotype and preterm birth (ptb) and small for gestational age (sga).study design:apoe phenotyping was performed on 680 women linked to 1065 births. allele frequencies were compared and ptb and sga risk was estimated using log-binomial regression.results:the ɛ2 allele was more common in sga births (p<0.01). sga risk was increased among ɛ2 carriers compared with genotype ɛ3/ɛ3, though associations were attenuated following adjustment for maternal age, education, race, smoking and prenatal visits. stronger associations were observed for term sga (first birth: adjusted relative risk (arr)=1.78, 95% confidence interval (ci) 1.06 to 2.98; any birth: arr=1.52, 95% ci 0.96 to 2.40) and among whites specifically (first: arr=2.88, 95% ci 1.45 to 5.69; any: arr=2.75, 95% ci 1.46 to 5.22).conclusions:associations between maternal apoe genotype and sga may represent decreased fetal growth in women with lower circulating cholesterol levels.