Last update:
11-Jul-2004

Arch Hellen Med, 2000, 17(Supplement):35-43

LECTURE

Epidemiology of arterial thrombosis
Gene-environment interaction, risk factors for coronary heart disease

F. ZITO, S.E. HUMPHRIES
Division of Cardiovascular Genetics, British Heart Foundation Laboratories,
Department of Medicine, Royal Free and University College, London Medical School, UK

Coronary Heart Disease is a complex multifactorial disorder, and in recent years it has become clear that as well as plasma lipids, elevated levels of certain proteins within the coagulation pathway contribute independently to IHD risk, for example, high plasma levels of factor VII, PAI-1 and fibrinogen. Recently, assays have become available to examine the importance of other coagulation factors, and levels of activated factor XII (FXIIa) have been identified as a potential risk factor. For all of these proteins, the genes coding them have been studied and functional polymorphisms detected that are associated with plasma levels and in some cases with risk of IHD. In this review we focus on work from our laboratory that has explored these genetic determinants and in particular the way genetic and environmental factors interact.

Key words: Factor VII, Factor XII, Fibrinogen, Genetic polymorphism, PAI-1.