Psychotic symptoms and apolipoprotein E genotypes in an elderly population

Background: Psychotic symptoms have been found to be more common in demented elderly persons. Genetic variation in the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is reported to be associated with variation in the risk of Alzheimer’s dementia. This study reports on variables associated with psychotic symptoms including APOE, in demented and nondemented elderly persons. Methods: A population of 668 elderly persons was examined. APOE genotype was available in 309 individuals. Results: Psychotic symptoms were found to be associated with dementia, a previous psychiatric history, female gender, being less educated, disability in daily living and institutionalisation. In the nondemented group, psychotic symptoms were equally common in subjects with or without the 4 present. In the demented subjects, psychotic symptoms were slightly more common, although not significant, in subjects without the 4 genotype. Conclusions: There was no statistical significant difference in APOE genotype between subjects with and without psychotic symptoms, stratified by dementia diagnosis.