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Background: Apolipoprotein E (Apo E) gene ε2, ε4 alleles have been reported to be associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), however, these results were controversial and undetermined.Thus, we performed this meta-analysis to access a more precise estimation of the associations by pooling sporadic, inconsistent, and small-sample-size studies.Methods: The electronic databases [PubMed, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)] were searched to identify eligible studies focusing on the association between Apo E polymorphisms and susceptibility to OSA before April, 2014.The associations were assessed by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (Cls).Begg's and Egger's tests were used to evaluate publication bias.Results: A total of ten studies (1696 cases/2216 controls for ε2 allele and 2449 cases/5592 controls for ε4 allele) were included in the meta-analysis.The associations between Apo E ε2, ε4 alleles and OSA were not found in overall population (OR =0.97, 95% Cl=0.75-1.25; OR =1.09, 95% Cl =0.86-1.38).Subgroup analyses revealed that neither Apo E ε2 nor ε4 alleles were associated with an increased risk of OSA in Caucasian population, studies with OSA definition of apnea hypopnea index≥5, mean age≥50 years old, and mean body mass index≥25 kg/m2 in patients.No evidence of publication bias was found according to Begg's and Egger's test.Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that Apo E ε2, ε4 alleles have no statistically significant associations with OSA susceptibility.However, studies with well matched controls and large sample size are warranted to verify these findings.