APOE and carotid atherosclerosis: The correlation between carotid atherosclerosis and APOE polymorphism was independent of lipid levels, according to our observation on ε4 carriers, with doubled risk compared to ε3 carriers (HR = 2.661, 95% CI 1.117–6.341; p = 0.027) of developing critical carotid plaque requiring revascularization independent of common vascular risk factors.