Factors leading to the occlusion of coronary grafts are diverse and may at least partially be inherited. We aimed to study the possible genetic predisposition and especially the role of apoE epsilon4 allele as a risk factor for repeated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in a case-control setting.
All patients (n=184) who underwent repeated CABG between 1990 and 1998 were identified in the computed registry of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in Tampere University Hospital. Age, sex and operation date matched controls with first time CABG were selected from the same registry. DNA samples were collected by sample stick sent via the mail for buccal smear. The final analysis included 137 surviving matched pairs.