Objective: To explore the correlation between the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphisms and the incidence of hemifacial spasm. Methods: The information of 94 hemifacial spasm cases (hemifacial spasm group) diagnosed in The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University and 73 normal subjects (control group) was collected for this research. And the APOE genotype was determined by means of cleaved amplification polymorphism sequence-tagged sites (CAPs). Then we obtained the gene frequency of APOEε2

APOEε3 and APOEε4

and compared the distribution of allele between the hemifacial spasm group and the control group. Results: The rate of APOEε4 allele gene in hemifacial spasm group was 15.43%

which was significantly higher than that in control group (6.85%). And the carriers of APOEε4 allele gene accounted for 29.79% in the hemifacial spasm group

which was also significantly greater than that in control group (13.70%). There were significant differences between the two groups (P=0.014). Conclusion: The morbidity of hemifacial spasm is associated with the APOE gene polymorphisms

and the carriers of APOEε4 allele gene may be more likely to suffer from the hemifacial spasm.