Apolipoprotein E polymorphism affects carotid artery atherosclerosis in smoking hypertensive men.

Smoking is a risk factor for increased carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT). The apolipoprotein E (apoE) 4 allele has been associated with cardiovascular diseases, but the role of apoE in regard to intima-media thickness (IMT) has remained controversial. The objective was to investigate whether there is some gene-environment interaction between smoking and apoE polymorphism. DESIGN Cross-sectional case-control study.