Prevalence of the Factor XIII Val34Leu Polymorphism in Korean Patients with Deep Vein Thrombosis

ObjectiveAccording to recent reports, a common polymorphism resulting in Val to Leu substitution, located 3 amino acids (Val34Leu) upstream of the thrombin cleavage site of FXIII A, has been related to a lower incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). And, a different expression pattern has been shown across nations and races. However, the frequency of FXIII polymorphism expression in Koreans has not been reported in normal individuals or DVT-patient groups.DesignCase-control study in Korean population.MethodsWe investigated the distribution of factor XIII Val34Leu polymorphisms in Korean patients of DVT (50 cases) and Korean healthy controls (100 cases), using real-time polymerase chain reaction for single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping.ResultsWith regard to the frequency of the FXIII polymorphism in DVT patients and in the general control group, all 50 cases in the patient group and 100 cases in the control group were found to be Val34 homozygotes.ConclusionsThe Val34Leu polymorphism of FXIII was not found in Korean people, and compared with Caucasians, a noticeably low incidence of DVT was shown. Thus, the preventive effect of the Val34 allele of FXIII on the formation of thrombi was shown.