Summary
Elevated factor VIII (FVIII) levels are a recognized risk factor for venous thrombosis.
Recently, family studies suggested that the G allele of the 3951C/G (D1241E) FVIII
polymorphism is associated to lower FVIII activity. We investigated in case-control
studies both biological effects (FVIII levels and activated protein C sensitivity
ratio) and clinical associations (venous thromboembolism) of the D1241E change. Among
145 healthy and 150 thrombotic women, not carriers of known thrombophilic defects,
the 1241E allele was associated with 11% reduced (t-test, P< 0.05) FVIII levels. The
effect on activated protein C sensitivity ratio was not statistically significant.
Carriership of the 1241E allele, potentially conferring protection from thrombosis,
was found in 22.8% of controls and in 15.3% of cases. In an additional cohort of factor
V Leiden carriers (n=283), carriership of the 1241E allele was 25.2% among 143 asymptomatic
subjects and 17.1% among 140 thrombotic patients. Our data do not indicate a specific
interaction with factor V Leiden. These genotype distributions suggest a mild protective
effect from venous thrombosis conferred by 1241E FVIII, masked by other genetic and/or
environmental components, and detectable only in very large population studies. Our
findings point toward the presence of genetic determinant of coagulation factor levels
with a biologically significant role, but with a poor predictive value to estimate
thrombotic risk beyond established risk factors.
Keywords
FVIII levels - FVIII polymorphisms - thrombosis - APC resistance