A functional single nucleotide polymorphism in the thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) gene associates with outcome of meningococcal disease.

In meningococcal sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation with deposition of fibrin and formation of microthrombi occurs in various organs and enhanced inhibition of fibrinolysis is associated with adverse outcome. Recently, TAFI (thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor) was identified as a link between coagulation and fibrinolysis, as TAFI can be activated by thrombin and once activated potently attenuates fibrinolysis. On the basis of this one would predict that DNA polymorphisms that increase TAFI activity would deteriorate the outcome in meningococcal sepsis. Therefore, we studied the prevalence of the Thr325Ile dimorphism in the TAFI gene, which is associated with increased TAFIa stability and activity in 50 patients who survived meningococcal disease, in 176 first-degree relatives of a consecutive patient series with meningococcal disease and 212 controls from the same geographic region. The TAFI 325 Ile/Ile genotype was slightly more common among parents of patients with meningococcal disease than in controls (11% vs. 7.1%, P= 0.24). This difference was pronounced among the subgroup of parents of non-surviving patients (19.2%, P= 0.03). Patients whose parents were carriers of the TAFI 325 Ile/Ile genotype had a 1.6-fold (95% CI 0.7-3.7) higher risk to contract meningococcal disease and a 3.1-fold (95% CI 1.0-9.5) increased risk to die from the infection compared with all other genotypes. Survivors had a genotype frequency (4.0%) that was lower than in the general population. TAFI 325 variants affect the outcome of meningococcal disease.

Effects of raloxifene therapy on the anticoagulant system in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Raloxifene therapy is associated with a three-fold increase in the risk for venous thromboembolism; however, its effects on the hemostatic system in postmenopausal women have not been well defined. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of raloxifene therapy on the levels of natural anticoagulant proteins in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Sixteen healthy postmenopausal women were enrolled in this prospective longitudinal study. The patients were treated with raloxifene hydrochloride (60 mg/day) for a period of 6 months. Antithrombin and protein C activities and protein S antigen levels were measured in all users at baseline, and after 1, 3 and 6 months of treatment. Statistical analysis included one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Bonferroni test for multiple comparisons among the study periods. RESULTS: Statistically significant 5.1% and 6.5% reductions of plasma antithrombin activity were observed at 3 and 6 months of therapy, respectively (p < 0.05). Compared with baseline, raloxifene did not significantly affect protein C activity or protein S level. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this prospective study show for the first time that raloxifene use is associated with a significant reduction in plasma antithrombin activity. This effect may contribute to a procoagulant state and partly explain the increased risk of venous thromboembolism in raloxifene users.

Hyperhomocysteinemia increases the risk of venous thrombosis independent of the C677T mutation of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene in selected Brazilian patients.

Fasting total homocysteine (tHcy) and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T mutation were evaluated in 91 patients with venous thromboembolism and without acquired thrombophilia, and in 91 age-matched and sex-matched controls. Hyperhomocysteinemia was detected in 11 patients (12.1%) and in two controls (2.2%), yielding an odds ratio (OR) for venous thrombosis of 6.1 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.3-28.4]. After excluding 21 patients and four controls with other known genetic risk factors for venous thrombosis, the OR was not substantially changed (7.0; 95% CI, 1.5-33.1). The prevalence of the MTHFR 677TT genotype was not significantly different in patients (9.9%) and in controls (5.5%), with an OR for venous thrombosis of 1.8 (95% CI, 0.6-5.8). Subjects with the MTHFR 677TT genotype showed higher levels of tHcy compared with the 677CC genotype in patients (P = 0.010) and in controls (P = 0.030). In conclusion, we found that fasting hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for venous thrombosis in patients without known acquired thrombophilia and other genetic risk factors for venous thrombosis. Although tHcy levels are significantly higher in those homozygous for the MTHFR C677T mutation, this genotype does not increase the thrombotic risk in our study population.

The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T gene polymorphism decreases the risk of childhood acute lymphocytic leukaemia.

We have determined the prevalence of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mutations C677T and A1298C in 71 children (< or = 15 years) with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and in 71 control subjects. Odds ratio (OR) for ALL linked to MTHFR C677T was 0.4 (95% CI 0.2-0.8); for heterozygotes it was 0.5 (95% CI 0.2-0.9) and for homozygotes it was 0.3 (95%CI 0.09-0.8). MTHFR A1298C yielded an overall OR for ALL of 1.3 (95% CI: 0.7-2.6); for heterozygotes it was 1.3 (95% CI: 0.7-7.6) and for homozygotes it was 2.8 (95% CI 0.5-15.6). In conclusion, MTHFR C677T was linked to a significant 2.4-fold decreased risk of developing childhood ALL, whereas MTHFR A1298C did not significantly affect the risk of ALL in our population.

Genetic risk factors of venous thrombosis.

Venous thrombosis, whose main clinical presentations include deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, represents a major health problem worldwide. Numerous conditions are known to predispose to venous thrombosis and these conditions are commonly referred to as risk indicators or risk factors. Generally accepted or "classically" acquired risk factors for venous thromboembolism include advanced age, prolonged immobilisation, surgery, fractures, use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy, pregnancy, puerperium, cancer and antiphospholipid syndrome. In addition to these well-established risk factors for venous thrombosis, several lines of evidence that have emerged over the past few decades indicate a role of novel genetic risk factors, mainly related to the haemostatic system, in influencing thrombotic risk. The most significant breakthrough has been the confirmation of the concept that inherited hypercoagulable conditions are present in a large proportion of patients with venous thromboembolic disease. These include mutations in the genes that encode antithrombin, protein C and protein S, and the factor V Leiden and factor II G20210 A mutations. Moreover, plasmatic risk indicators, such as hyperhomocysteinemia and elevated concentrations of factors II, VIII, IX, XI and fibrinogen, have also been documented. This extensive list of genetic and acquired factors serves to illustrate that a single cause of venous thrombosis does not exist and that this condition should be considered as a complex or multifactorial trait. Complex traits can be understood by assuming an interaction between different mutations in candidate susceptibility genes. The risk that is associated with each genetic defect may be relatively low in isolation but the simultaneous presence of several mutations may dramatically increase disease susceptibility. Moreover, environmental factors may interact with one or more genetic variations to add further to the risk. The analysis of genetic risk factors and plasmatic factors, together with private life style and environmental factors, has contributed significantly to our understanding of the genetic predisposition to venous thrombosis.

Identification of polymorphisms in the 5'-untranslated region of the TAFI gene: relationship with plasma TAFI levels and risk of venous thrombosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) plays an important role in hemostasis, functioning as a potent fibrinolysis inhibitor. TAFI gene variations may contribute to plasma TAFI levels and thrombotic risk. DESIGN AND METHODS: We sequenced a 2083-bp region of the 5'-regulatory region of the TAFI gene in 127 healthy subjects searching for variations, and correlated identified polymorphisms with plasma TAFI levels. TAFI polymorphisms were examined as risk factors for venous thrombosis by determining their prevalence in 388 patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and in 388 controls. RESULTS: Seven novel polymorphisms were identified: -152 A/G, -438 A/G, -530 C/T, -1053 T/C, -1102 T/G, -1690 G/A, and -1925 T/C. -152 A/G, -530 C/T and -1925 T/C were found to be in strong linkage disequilibrium, as were the -438 A/G, -1053 T/C, -1102 T/G and -1690 G/A. Plasma TAFI levels were higher in -438GG/-1053CC/-1102GG/-1690AA homozygotes than in -438AG/-1053TC/-1102TG/-1690GA heterozygotes, and -438AA/-1053TT/-1102TT/-1690GG homozygotes had the lowest TAFI levels (p=0.0003). TAFI concentrations in -152AA/-530CC/-1925TT homozygotes were somewhat higher but not significantly different from levels observed for -152AG/-530CT/-1925TC heterozygotes. Taken in combination, -438AG/-1053TC/-1102TG/-1690GA and -438AA/-1053TT/-1102TT/-1690GG yielded an OR for DVT of 0.8 (95%CI: 0.6-1). In subjects aged <35 years the OR was 0.7 (95%CI: 0.5-1.1). The OR for -152AG/-530CT/-1925TC was 1 (95%CI: 0.5-2.2) in the whole group of patients and controls, whereas in subjects aged <35 years the OR was 0.1 (95%CI: 0.02-0.9). INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Polymorphisms in the TAFI promoter determine plasma antigen levels and may influence the risk of venous thrombophilia.

Gene polymorphisms in the TNF locus and the risk of myocardial infarction.

We investigated two genetic polymorphisms in the tumor necrosis factor locus (TNF-alpha -308 G-->A and LT-alpha +252 A-->G) as risk factors for coronary atherothrombotic disease (CAD) by determining its prevalence in 148 survivors of myocardial infarction (MI) with angiographically-proven severe CAD, and in 148 age-, gender- and race-matched controls. The odds ratio (OR) for MI related to the mutant TNF-alpha and LT-alpha alleles was 0.8 (CI95: 0.4-1.3) and 1. 3 (CI95: 0.8-2.0), respectively. We also sought interaction of smoking and metabolic risk factors for MI with each mutant genotype. Smokers not carrying the LT-alpha +252 A-->G mutation had a risk of MI of 2.7 (CI95: 1.4-5.4) whereas in smoking carriers the risk was 6. 9 (CI95: 3.4-14.1). An interactive effect of the LT-alpha mutation may also exist with dyslipidemia (OR for MI in non-carriers was 12 [CI95: 3.2-41.3] and in carriers the OR was 39, [CI95: 5.1-301] and with obesity (OR for MI was 2.7, [CI95: 1-7.2] in non-carriers and in carriers the OR was 6 [CI95: 2.1-16.8]). Lastly, the OR for MI in obese non-carriers of TNF-alpha -308 G-->A was 2.8 (CI95: 1.3-6) and in obese carriers the OR was 14.5 (CI95: 1.8-113). Although significant interactive effects could not be detected, the findings suggest that interaction of polymorphisms in the TNF locus with major risk factors for CAD may exist, and should be explored in larger studies.

Ethnic heterogeneity of the factor XIII Val34Leu polymorphism.

A polymorphism in the coagulation factor XIII gene (FXIII Val34Leu) has been recently described to confer protection for arterial and venous thrombosis and to predispose to intracerebral hemorrhage. At present it is known that FXIII Val34Leu is prevalent in Caucasians, but information upon its distribution in different ethnic groups is scarce. We investigated the prevalence of FXIIIVal34Leu in 450 unrelated subjects of four ethnic groups: 97 Caucasians (Brazilians of European descent and Portuguese), 149 Blacks (Brazilians, and Africans from Cameroon, Zaire and Angola), 40 Asians (Japanese descendents) and 164 Amerindians from South America. PCR amplification of exon 2 of FXIII gene followed by MseI restriction-digestion was employed to define the genotypes. FXIIIVal34Leu was detected in 44.3% of the Caucasians, in 28.9% of the Blacks, in 2.5% of the Asians and in 51.2% of the Amerindians. These data confirm that FXIII Val34Leu is highly prevalent in Caucasians and indicate that it is rarer in populations of African origin. The very high frequency among Amerindians indicates that FXIII Val34Leu is not absent among Asians, and since it has a very low prevalence in Japanese, a heterogeneity in its distribution in Asia may be inferred. Taken together, our data showed that FXIII Val34Leu exhibits a significant ethnic heterogeneity, a finding that is relevant for studies relating this polymorphism with thrombotic and bleeding disorders.

Factor XIII Val34Leu and the risk of venous thromboembolism in factor V Leiden carriers.

A mutation in factor XIII (Val34Leu) was reported to protect against venous thromboembolism. We evaluated the effect of Val34Leu on thrombotic risk in 352 factor V Leiden carriers who were first-degree relatives of 132 thrombotic propositi carrying factor V Leiden. The total observation period was 2,594 years in 92 Val34Leu carriers and 7,444 years in 260 non-carriers. The annual incidence of a first episode of venous thromboembolism was 0.31% in Val34Leu carriers and 0.44% in non-carriers [relative risk (RR) for venous thromboembolism: 0.7, 95% CI 0.3-1.5]. Age-specific RR for venous thromboembolism were (for Val34Leu carriers and non-carriers respectively): 1.0 (95% CI 0.3-3.2) in the age group of 15-30 years, 0.4 (95%, CI 0.05-3.0) in the age group of 30-45 years, 0.6 (95% CI 0.1-2.9) in the group aged 45-60 years and 0.5 (95% CI 0.06-4.5) in relatives older than 60 years. In conclusion, the impact of FXIII Val34Leu on the venous thromboembolic risk is modest, suggesting that screening for this mutation in factor V Leiden carriers is not justified.

The in vivo kinetics of tissue factor messenger RNA expression during human endotoxemia: relationship with activation of coagulation.

Triggering of the tissue factor (TF)-dependent coagulation pathway is considered to underlie the generation of a procoagulant state during endotoxemia. To determine the in vivo pattern of monocytic TF messenger RNA (mRNA) expression during endotoxemia, 10 healthy volunteers were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 4 ng/kg) and blood was collected before and 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 24 hours after LPS administration. Total blood RNA was isolated and amplified by NASBA (nucleic acid sequence-based amplification), followed by quantitation of TF mRNA by an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) assay. To compare the pattern of coagulation activation with the kinetics of monocytic TF mRNA expression, we measured plasma levels of markers of thrombin generation, thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) complexes, and prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2). Baseline value (mean +/- SEM) of the number of TF mRNA molecules per monocytic cell was 0.08 +/- 0.02. A progressive and significant (P <.0001) increase in TF expression was observed after LPS injection (+0.5 hour: 0.3 +/- 0.1, +1 hour: 1.3 +/- 0.9, +2 hours: 4.1 +/- 0.9), peaking at +3 hours (10 +/- 1.9 TF mRNA molecules per monocyte). As TF mRNA levels increased, thrombin generation was augmented. Peak levels of TAT and F1 + 2 were reached later (at t +4 hours) than those of TF mRNA. TF mRNA, TAT, and F1 + 2 levels returned to baseline after 24 hours. In conclusion, we used a NASBA/ECL-based technique to quantify TF mRNA in whole blood during human endotoxemia and observed a 125-fold increase in TF mRNA levels. Our data demonstrate a pivotal role for enhanced TF gene activity in the activation of coagulation after LPS challenge. (Blood. 2000;96:554-559)

HFE gene mutations in coronary atherothrombotic disease.

Although iron can catalyze the production of free radicals involved in LDL lipid peroxidation, the contribution of iron overload to atherosclerosis remains controversial. The description of two mutations in the HFE gene (Cys282Tyr and His63Asp) related to hereditary hemochromatosis provides an opportunity to address the question of the association between iron overload and atherosclerosis. We investigated the prevalence of HFE mutations in 160 survivors of myocardial infarction with angiographically demonstrated severe coronary atherosclerotic disease, and in 160 age-, gender- and race-matched healthy control subjects. PCR amplification of genomic DNA followed by RsaI and BclI restriction enzyme digestion was used to determine the genotypes. The frequency of the mutant Cys282Tyr allele was identical among patients and controls (0.022; carrier frequency, 4.4%), whereas the mutant His63Asp allele had a frequency of 0.143 (carrier frequency, 27.5%) in controls and of 0.134 (carrier frequency, 24.5%) in patients. Compound heterozygotes were found in 2 of 160 (1.2%) controls and in 1 of 160 (0.6%) patients. The finding of a similar prevalence of Cys282Tyr and His63Asp mutations in the HFE gene among controls and patients with coronary atherothrombotic disease, indirectly questions the possibility of an association between hereditary hemochromatosis and atherosclerosis.

HFE gene mutations in coronary atherothrombotic disease

Although iron can catalyze the production of free radicals involved in LDL lipid peroxidation, the contribution of iron overload to atherosclerosis remains controversial. The description of two mutations in the HFE gene (Cys282Tyr and His63Asp) related to hereditary hemochromatosis provides an opportunity to address the question of the association between iron overload and atherosclerosis. We investigated the prevalence of HFE mutations in 160 survivors of myocardial infarction with angiographically demonstrated severe coronary atherosclerotic disease, and in 160 age-, gender- and race-matched healthy control subjects. PCR amplification of genomic DNA followed by RsaI and BclI restriction enzyme digestion was used to determine the genotypes. The frequency of the mutant Cys282Tyr allele was identical among patients and controls (0.022; carrier frequency, 4.4 per cent), whereas the mutant His63Asp allele had a frequency of 0.143 (carrier frequency, 27.5 per cent) in controls and of 0.134 (carrier frequency, 24.5 per cent) in patients. Compound heterozygotes were found in 2 of 160 (1.2 per cent) controls and in 1 of 160 (0.6 per cent) patients. The finding of a similar prevalence of Cys282Tyr and His63Asp mutations in the HFE gene among controls and patients with coronary atherothrombotic disease, indirectly questions the possibility of an association between hereditary hemochromatosis and atherosclerosis.

Are haemochromatosis mutations related to the severity of liver disease in hepatitis C virus infection?

It has been proposed that iron overload may adversely affect liver disease outcome. The recent identification of 2 mutations in the HFE gene related to hereditary haemochromatosis (Cys282Tyr and His63Asp) provided an opportunity to test whether they are associated with hepatic iron accumulation and the activity and severity of liver disease in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We investigated the prevalence of HFE mutations in 135 male patients with chronic HCV hepatitis, and correlated genotype distribution with different parameters of iron status and the activity and severity of liver disease. Of these 135 patients, 6 (4.4%) carried Cys282Tyr and 32 (23.7%) carried His63Asp, frequencies which were similar to those observed in healthy controls. Serum iron levels and transferrin saturation (but not ferritin levels or liver iron content) were significantly higher in carriers than in non-carriers of HFE mutations. No difference was observed in serum ALT, AST and GGT levels between carriers and non-carriers. Finally, scores for necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis in the liver were significantly higher in HFE carriers than in non-carriers. Patients with chronic HCV infection carrying HFE mutations tend to present more evident body iron accumulation and a higher degree of necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis in the liver. HFE gene mutations might be an additional factor to be considered among those implicated in the determination of a worse prognosis of the liver disease in chronic HCV infection.

Factor XIII val34leu and the risk of myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have suggested an association between a genetic variation in the coagulation factor XIII (FXIII Val34Leu) and decreased risk of vascular thrombosis. DESIGN AND METHODS: We investigated the frequency of the FXIII Val34Leu polymorphism in 150 consecutive, unrelated and relatively young (<55 years) survivors of myocardial infarction (MI) with angiographically-proven severe coronary atherosclerosis and in 150 age-, gender- and race-matched controls. RESULTS: FXIII Val34Leu was detected in 54/150 patients and 73/150 controls, yielding an overall odds ratio (OR) for MI of 0.6 (CI95: 0.4-0.9). Homozygosity for FXIII Val34Leu was found in 4/150 patients and in 12/150 controls, yielding an OR for MI of 0.26 (CI95: 0.08-0.9). The OR for heterozygotes was 0.65 (CI95: 0.4-1.1). FXIII Val34Leu carriership decreased the risk of MI related to metabolic risk factors (RF) (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity): non-carriers in the presence of a metabolic RF had a 13.9-fold higher risk of MI, whereas in carriers with a metabolic RF the risk was reduced to 6.8. FXIII Val34Leu also attenuated the risk of MI among smokers. Non-carrier smokers had a 6.1-fold higher risk (CI95: 3.1-11.9), whereas the risk among smokers carrying FXIII Val34Leu was 3.9 (CI95: 1.9-8.1). INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: FXIII Val34Leu confers a significant protective effect against the occurrence of MI in relatively young patients. FXIII Val34Leu exhibits a gene dosage effect: the protective effect was particularly strong in homozygous carriers, and heterozygosity conferred moderate protection. Finally, FXIII Val34Leu seems to reduce the risk of MI related to major cardiovascular risk factors.

Porphyria cutanea tarda in Brazilian patients: association with hemochromatosis C282Y mutation and hepatitis C virus infection.

OBJECTIVE: Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is commonly associated with iron overload and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Association between hemochromatosis C282Y or H63D mutations and PCT has been observed, although not uniformly, and iron overload is also commonly found in chronic HCV hepatitis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency of C282Y and H63D mutations and HCV infection in Brazilian patients with PCT and their relationship with iron overload. METHODS: Twenty-three patients (19 men) aged 39.6 +/- 11.1 yr were studied. All had dermatological lesions of PCT and high levels of urinary uroporphyrin. HCV infection and iron overload were investigated. DNA samples were analyzed for the presence of HFE mutations. RESULTS: The frequency of C282Y was significantly higher in PCT patients than in 278 healthy individuals (17.4% vs 4%, odds ratio = 5.1, 95% confidence interval 1.5-17.6, p = 0.02), whereas no difference was observed regarding the H63D mutation (30.4% vs 31%, odds ratio = 1, 95% confidence interval 0.4-2.4, p = 1). Biochemical tests in PCT patients showed iron overload with transferrin saturation = 47.3 +/- 20.7% and ferritin = 566.8 +/- 425 ng/ml. Fifteen of 23 (65.2%) patients had HCV infection and alcohol ingestion was observed in 17 of 23 (73.9%). CONCLUSIONS: PCT patients exhibited evidence of iron overload, a high frequency of HCV, and an association with C282Y mutation. These data further support the notion that both acquired and inherited factors contribute to the occurrence of PCT, and indicate that screening for C282Y may be justified in PCT patients.

Factor V leiden and factor II G20210A mutations in patients with recurrent abortion.

Recurrent abortion (RA) represents an intriguing problem in obstetric practice in which genetic and acquired factors may play a role. In the present investigation we sought to assess the possibility that inherited thrombophilia might determine the risk of RA. We therefore investigated the prevalence of two genetic abnormalities frequently associated with venous thrombosis [factor V Leiden (FVL) and factor II G20210A] in 56 patients with primary or secondary abortion and in 384 healthy control women. Polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by digestion with the restriction enzymes MnlI and HindIII was used to define the FVL and FII G20210A genotypes respectively. FVL was found in 4/56 patients (7.1%) and in 6/384 controls (1.6%), yielding an odds ratio (OR) for RA related to FVL of 4.9 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3-17.8]. FII G20210A was detected in 2/56 (3.6%) patients and in 4/384 (1%) controls (OR for RA: 3.5, CI: 0.6-19.7). In conclusion, FVL and FII G20210A mutations in patients with RA were more prevalent in comparison with controls. These data support a role for both mutations as determinants of the risk of RA and strengthen the notion that thrombophilia plays a role in this clinical entity.

Factor XIII Val34Leu is a genetic factor involved in the etiology of venous thrombosis.

A mutation in the factor XIII gene (FXIII Val34Leu) gene was recently reported to confer protection against myocardial infarction, but its relationship with venous thrombosis is unknown. In addition, a mutation in the 5'-untranslated region of the FXII gene (46 C->T) was identified which is associated with low plasma levels of the protein. Its prevalence in patients with venous thrombosis is also unknown. We investigated the frequency of the FXIII Val34Leu and FXII 46 C->T mutations in 189 patients with deep venous thrombosis and in 187 age-, gender- and race-matched controls. FXIII Val34Leu was detected in 38.6% of the patients and in 41.2% of the controls. Interestingly, homozygosity for the FXIII mutation was found in 1.6% of the patients and in 9.6% of the controls, yielding an odds ratio (OR) for venous thrombosis of 0.16 (95% CI: 0.05-0.5). The OR for heterozygotes was 1.1 (95% CI: 0.7-1.7). The FXII 46 C->T mutation was detected in 46.0% of the patients and in 48.6% of the controls. The OR for heterozygotes was 0.9 (95% CI: 0.6-1.4) and for homozygotes the OR was 0.8 (95% CI: 0.3-1.9). Our data indicate that the FXII 46 C->T mutation is unlikely to be a major risk factor for venous thrombotic disease. In contrast, the homozygous state for FXIII Val34Leu is a strong protective factor against venous thrombosis, which emerges as a novel genetic factor involved in the aetiology of thrombophilia.

A second mutation in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene and the risk of venous thrombotic disease.

We assessed the effect of a recently described mutation in the MTHFR gene (1298 A --> C) on the risk of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) by determining its prevalence in 190 patients with verified DVT and in age-, race- and gender-matched controls. MTHFR 1298 A --> C was found in 42.1% of patients and in 41.1% of controls. The OR for venous thrombosis was 1.07 (95% CI 0.70-1.65) for heterozygotes and 0.83 (95% CI 0.33-2.08) for homozygotes. The OR for the factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation was 3.40 (95% CI 1.22-9.48), for FII 20210 G --> A was 5.22 (95% CI 1.12-24.2) and for MTHFR 677 C --> T, 1.24 (95% CI 0.82-1.87). No significant increased risk for venous thrombosis was found when MTHFR 1298 A --> C was coinherited with FVL (OR 2.85, 95% CI 0.88-9.23), FII 20210 G --> A (OR 7.19, 95% CI 0.87-59.4) or MTHFR 677 C --> T (OR 1.44, 95% CI 0.71-2.92). These data do not support a critical role of MTHFR 1298 A --> C in the predisposition to DVT.