Allelic frequency of the factor V Leiden mutation and of the prothrombin gene 20210A mutation in healthy Tunisian population

Cerebral venous thrombosis associated with homozygous factor V Leiden mutation in a 15-year-old girl of Tunisian origin

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare disease. It has numerous and complex etiologies. Inherited or acquired prothrombotic states play a key role in the development of this disease, such as factor V G1691A mutation (FV Leiden). A 15-year-old girl presented to the Department of Neurology with a complaint of severe headache with visual blurring. The diagnosis of CVT was not initially suspected because of the patient's condition on presentation. An MRI showed thrombosis in the superior sagittal sinus, confirming venous stroke. Anticardiolipin and antiphospholipid antibodies were assessed. In addition, inherited prothrombotic defects, such as protein C, protein S, and antithrombin deficiencies, and genetic mutations for FV Leiden, prothrombin gene G20210A (FII G20210A), and methyltetrahydrofolate reductase C677T (MTHFR C677T) were studied. All results were unremarkable except for the unique homozygous FV Leiden mutation, which likely contributed to this prothrombotic situation. This study highlights the fact that FV Leiden may play a significant role in the onset of CVT in young patients.

Prevalence of angiotensin-converting enzyme, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, Factor V Leiden, prothrombin and apolipoprotein E gene polymorphisms in Morocco

BACKGROUND

Evidence of the influence of genetic risk factors on cardiovascular diseases is more or less established. These genetic factors are involved in several pathways affecting blood pressure regulation, blood coagulation, homocysteine and lipid metabolisms.

AIM

We evaluated frequencies of five genetic polymorphisms to assess their informativeness as markers for prospective clinical studies.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

182 healthy Moroccan subjects were genotyped for ACE I/D by amplification alone and by amplification followed by enzymatic digestion for other polymorphisms.

RESULTS

Allele frequencies of ACE ID, MTHFR C677T were 76.6%, 26.9% for D and T alleles, respectively. APOE polymorphism showed 11.3%, 78.6% and 10.2% for the alleles E2, E3 and E4, respectively. The frequency for FII G20210A polymorphism was around 2.7% for A allele. Our data showed an absence of FVL mutation. Using allele frequencies, genetic distances between Moroccan and other populations revealed an independent variability of these polymorphisms.

CONCLUSION

These values appear to be influenced by findings in European and African peoples, and may be considered in assessing the clinical significance of a predisposition to cardiovascular disease.