Evaluation of APOE Genotype and Ability to Perform Activities of Daily Living Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Survivors of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) often experience unfavorable functional outcomes that result in a reduced ability to independently perform activities of daily living. The apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) encodes for a protein known to facilitate lipid transport and aid in neuronal repair within the central nervous system and to moderate the inflammatory response, making functional variations in this gene likely candidate biomarkers to predict outcomes following aSAH. In the present work, we examined the relationship between APOE genotype and the ability to perform activities of daily living as measured by the Barthel Index (BI) score at 3 months (n = 298) and 12 months (n = 288) following aSAH. APOE genotypes were determined using polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction digestion and gel electrophoresis and treated as binary variables depending on the presence or absence of alleles E4 and E2. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine whether APOE genotype accounted for variability in BI score after controlling for age, sex, and severity of clinical condition as measured by the Hunt and Hess classification. No significant association was found between the presence of allele E4 and BI score at 3 (p = .20) or 12 months (p = .29) or between the presence of allele E2 and BI score at 3 (p = .23) or 12 months (p = .86) after controlling for covariates. The results of this study do not support a relationship between APOE genotype and the ability to perform activities of daily living after aSAH.