Thromb Haemost 2009; 101(06): 1078-1084
DOI: 10.1160/TH08-12-0813
Blood Coagulation, Fibrinolysis and Cellular Haemostasis
Schattauer GmbH

Fibrinogen gamma gene 3’-end polymorphisms and risk of venous thromboembolism in the African-American and Caucasian population

Shirley Uitte de Willige
1   Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
,
Meridith E. Pyle
2   Division of Hereditary Blood Disorders, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
,
Hans L. Vos
1   Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
,
Marieke C. H. de Visser
1   Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
,
Cathy Lally
3   Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
,
Nicole F. Dowling
2   Division of Hereditary Blood Disorders, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
,
W. Craig Hooper
2   Division of Hereditary Blood Disorders, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
,
Rogier M. Bertina
1   Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Department of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
,
Harland Austin
3   Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
› Author Affiliations

Financial support: This study was financially supported by grant 912–02–036 from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The GATE study was supported by a grant from the CDC through the Associations of Schools of Public Health/CDC Cooperative Agreement mechanism.
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 13 December 2008

Accepted after minor revision: 12 February 2009

Publication Date:
24 November 2017 (online)

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Summary

Genetic determinants of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the African-American population are poorly characterised. It was recently shown that fibrinogen gamma gene (FGG) polymorphisms 10034C>T and 9340T>C influence VTE risk in the Caucasian population. In the African-American population these polymorphisms are common, with allele frequencies above 25%. Here we evaluated whether these and other FGG 3’-end polymorphisms were associated with VTE risk in the African-American population and aimed to replicate the association in the Caucasian population. We examined 557 Caucasian patients and 678 Caucasian controls, and 537 African-American patients and 586 African-American controls from the ‘Genetic Attributes and Thrombosis Epidemiology’ (GATE) study. In the African-American population, 10034C>T and 9340T>C marginally influenced VTE-risk, with a 20% increase in risk for 10034TT carriers and a 20% reduction in risk for 9340CC carriers. In the Caucasian population, 10034TT was associated with a 1.7-fold increase in risk, which increased to 2.1-fold for idiopathic VTE patients. 9340CC significantly reduced VTE risk approximately two-fold. In conclusion, both FGG polymorphisms 10034C>T and 9340T>C influence VTE-risk, with the strongest effects observed in the Caucasian population, confirming previous data on these polymorphisms in this population.