Hereditary thrombophilic factors in stroke due to cerebral infarct

The stroke is the third most common cause of all deaths. In new studies, the importance of hereditary thrombophilic factors on stroke is emphasized. The aim of this study is to determine the role of hereditary thrombophilic factors including factor V Leiden A1691G (FVL), prothrombin G20210A, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T gene mutations in patients with stroke because of cerebral infarct.

Twenty-four patients with stroke and 53 controls with risk factor for stroke were enrolled. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect these mutations.

Heterozygote FVL mutation in 2 (8.3%) patients and MTHFR mutation in 10 (41.7%) patients were detected. In the control group, there were 2 (3.8%) patients with heterozygote FVL mutation and 15 (28.3%) patients with MTHR mutation. Both FVL and MTHFR gene mutations were detected in 1 patient and 2 controls, respectively. Prothrombin gene mutation was not found in 2 groups. There were not statistically significant differences for all 3 mutations in-between 2 groups (P > 0.05). Odds ratios were 0.431 (0.074-2.504, 95% CI) for FVL mutation and 0.553 (0.221-1.381, 95% CI) for MTHFR mutation, respectively.

Although our study group was small, hereditary thrombophilic factors might not be risk factors for stroke because of cerebral infarct.