An overview of genetic risk factors in thrombophilia

Thrombophilia is a multifactorial disorder, involving both genetic and acquired risk factors that affect the balance between procoagulant and anticoagulant factors and lead to increased tendency to thrombosis. The concept that thrombophilia could be associated with genetic defects was first proposed in 1965 after the discovery of familiar antihrombin III deficiency. Further family studies showed that deficiency of protein C or protein S also increased thrombotic risk. In the coming years the advent in DNA technology, especially the invention of PCR reaction, played an important role in the identification of the exact nature of these deficiencies and opened new possibilities in the genetic research of thrombophilia. The breakthrough came with the discovery of activated protein C resistance and Factor V Leiden mutation. Shortly afterwards a mutation in the 3' untranslated region of Factor II gene (FII G20210A) associated with increased concentration of factor II in plasma, was described. Large epidemiologic studies have conformed that these two common mutations represent significant risk factors for thrombophilia. In the last decade several prothrombotic genetic risk factors have been described, including genes variants associated with increased levels of coagulation factors, defects of natural coagulation inhibitors, defects of the fibrinolytic system and hyperhomocysteinemia. These genetic defects or their combination have been extensively studied in an attempt to elucidate the possible association with increased thrombotic tendency. The large-scale DNA analysis systems are now becoming available, opening a new era in the genetic studies of thrombophilia. New technology will enable many genes to be studied in a single patient bringing us closer to the "personalized" medicine.