Polymorphisms in the coagulation factor VII gene and risk of primary intracerebral hemorrhage

Data concerning genetic factors that may influence the risk of primary intracerebral hemorrhage (PICH) are scarce. One previous study, indicated that the carriers of the (-323)Ins allele of the coagulation factor VII (FVII) have an increased risk of PICH. Another recent study, tested the effect of apolipoprotein E. We analyzed, whether the (-401)G --> T polymorphism, which is in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with the 10-bp Ins/Del polymorphism at position (-323), or the (-402)G --> A polymorphisms of the FVII gene are associated with an increased risk for PICH. We performed a small case-control study in 85 patients with PICH and in 85 healthy control subjects. To each patient a control was individually matched for age, gender, and hypertension. We did not find any significant differences in allele frequencies for the A allele of the FVII (-402)G --> A polymorphism (0.25 vs. 0.25; P = 0.900, OR = 1, ns.) nor for the T Allele of the FVII (-401)G --> T polymorphism (0.09 vs. 0.12; P = 0.480, OR = 1.38, ns.). The analysis of haplotype distributions did not reveal significant differences. Our results do not support the hypothesis that the investigated polymorphisms in the FVII gene are significantly associated with the risk for PICH.