查看文章

High plasma levels of coagulation factor VII have been suggested to be predictors of death due to coronary artery disease. Since polymorphisms in the factor VII gene contribute to variations in factor VII levels, such polymorphisms may be associated with the risk of myocardial infarction, which is precipitated by thrombosis.

We studied a total of 444 patients, 311 of whom had severe, angiographically documented coronary atherosclerosis. Of these 311 patients, 175 had documentation of a previous myocardial infarction. As a control group, 133 patients with normal coronary arteriograms were also included. We measured the levels of activated factor VII and assessed three polymorphisms in the factor VII gene, one involving the promoter (A1 and A2 alleles), one involving the catalytic region (R353Q), and one involving intron 7.

Each of the polymorphisms influenced factor VII levels …