Abstract The apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) ε4 allele represents the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its role in genetically diverse Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) populations is underexplored. We conducted a meta‐analysis of 35 studies from 11 LAC countries, encompassing 3206 patients with AD and 5515 controls. The ε4 allele demonstrated significant association with increased AD risk (odds ratio OR = 3.25, 95% confidence interval 2.82–3.76), while ε3 showed lower odds (0.42, 0.37–0.48). Homozygous ε4/ε4 carriers had elevated risk (6.84, 5.09–9.19), and heterozygous ε3/ε4 carriers showed moderate risk (2.59, 2.31–2.91). Country‐level analyses revealed variability, with Ecuador showing the highest OR for ε4/ε4 (13.29, 1.56–113.4). These results confirm APOE ε4 as a major AD risk factor in LAC populations and highlight regional differences relevant to precision medicine.
Orellana et al. (2026) studied this question.