【Abstract】 Objective To explore the potential pathogenesis of idiopathic epilepsy from the perspective of apolipoprotein E (APOE) promoter gene polymorphism. Methods The patients with idiopathic epilepsy were included. The restriction fragment length polymorphism polymerase chain reaction (PCRRFLP) technique was used to detect the genotypes of APOE promoter. The correlation was analyzed bytest and Logistic regression analysis. Results Our study included 122 patients with idiopathic epilepsy, of which 78 were focal epilepsy and 44 were fully epileptic. The results showed that the proportion of focal seizures in patients with 427T was significantly higher than that with 427C, and the single factor and multiple factor regression analysis suggested that 427T was the risk factor of focal. Conclusion In patients with idiopathic epilepsy, focal epileptic seizures may be associated with APOE promoter 427T in patients.