Objective
To determine allele frequencies of apolipoprotein (Apo) E according to the type of stroke in Korean and to investigate the relationship between the Apo E genotype and serum lipid profile as well as outcome after stroke.

Method
Fifty-eight stroke patients admitted between January and December 1999 were enrolled. The serum concentrations of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and HDL-cholesterol were measured. The LDL-cholesterol concentration were calculated by Friedwald formula. Apo E genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The outcome of stroke was measured by functional independence measure (FIM) scores.

Results
Most frequent Apo E genotype was E 3/3 (72%), followed by E 3/4 (17%), E 2/3 (9%) and E 2/2 (2%). The level of total serum cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were lower in the stroke patients who have ε2 allele in comparison with the patients without that allele. ε4 allele does not influence on the outcome of stroke patients measured by FIM.

Conclusion
Most frequent Apo E genotype was E3/3. ε2 allele influenced on the serum cholesterol level in stroke patients. However, ε4 allele does not correlate with worse prognosis in stroke patients in this study.