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Semin Thromb Hemost 1999; 25(5): 487-489
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-994955
Copyright © 1999 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

The Factor V Leiden Mutation Is Not a Common Cause of Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension in Japan

Gen Kobashi* , Hideto Yamada† , Toshimichi Asano* , Shunsuke Nagano* , Akira Hata* , Reiko Kishi* , Kiyotaro Kondo‡ , Seiichiro Fujimoto†
  • *Department of Public Health and
  • †Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan, and
  • ‡The University of the Air, Chiba, Japan.
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Publication History

Publication Date:
06 February 2008 (online)

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Abstract

Recent studies in Caucasian populations have shown an association of the Leiden mutation in factor V with preeclampsia (PE). It consists of a substitution of a G (G1691) with an A (A1691) at nucleotide position 1691 in exon 10, resulting in arginine instead of glutamine at residue 506 at the factor V cleavage site for activated protein C (APC); it contributes to the resistance to APC. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Leiden mutation is associated with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), including PE, in Japanese women. We examined the genotypes of factor V of 71 Japanese patients with PIH and 109 controls. None of the 180 Japanese women carried the factor V Leiden mutation. To date, the factor V Leiden mutation is rare and not a common cause of PIH in Japan. The results may suggest that there is a significant ethnic difference in the role of the Leiden mutation in compounding the risk factors in the pathogenesis of PIH between Japanese and Caucasian populations.

Keywords:

Factor V Leiden mutation - pregnancy-induced hypertension - preeclampsia - thrombosis