The diagnostic value investigation of blood lipid as biomarker combined with apolipoprotein E genotype in dementia with Lewy bodies

BackgroundThe apolipoprotein E ε4 allele (<i>APOE</i> ε4) is a genetic risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. The potential of lipid metabolism as a biomarker in conjunction with <i>APOE</i> ε4 for the evaluation of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) warrants further investigation.ObjectiveThe study aimed to investigate the association between <i>APOE</i> ε4 and lipid metabolism in DLB.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional observational study that included a total of 171 DLB patients diagnosed based on established clinical consensus criteria. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were used in this study. <i>APOE</i> genotypes and blood lipid levels were determined using unified standards. IBM SPSS Statistics software was used for statistical analysis.ResultsIn patients with mild and moderate CDR, <i>APOE</i> ε4 carriers had significantly higher CHOL and LDL-C levels compared to non-carriers. In the 70-79 age group, <i>APOE</i> ε4 carriers demonstrated higher LDL-C (2.94 ± 0.83 mmol/L versus 2.47 ± 0.97 mmol/L, <i>q</i> = 0.0480) and CHOL (4.88 ± 1.05 mmol/L versus 4.25 ± 1.18 mmol/L, <i>q</i> = 0.0453) levels compared to non-carriers. In the 70-79 age group, ROC curve analysis showed that TG (AUC = 0.65, 95%CI = 0.514-0.785, p = 0.046), LDL-C (AUC = 0.663, 95%CI = 0.526-0.801, p = 0.03) and CHOL (AUC = 0.692, 95%CI = 0.557-0.827, p = 0.011) had certain reference value for diagnosis. Among patients presenting with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, fluctuating cognition, and parkinsonism, <i>APOE</i> ε4 carriers exhibited higher levels of APO B, CHOL, and LDL-C compared to non-carriers.ConclusionsPeripheral blood lipid level as a metabolic biomarker, combined with <i>APOE</i> ε4 gene detection, has potential value for disease monitoring and prognosis evaluation.