Factor VII Gene Haplotypes and Risk of Ischemic

Background: Coagulation factor VII (FVII) plays an important role in the activation of blood coagulation and clot formation. Recent studies have provided evidence for an association between common polymorphic markers in the FVII gene and plasma FVII concentrations. The 353R>Q sequence variation, and 3 common sequence variations in the promoter of the FVII gene— the 10-bp insertion/deletion at position 323 and the 401G>T and 402G>A sequence variations—are well-known determinants of circulating FVII concentrations. Methods: To clarify the role of these sequence variations in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke, we performed a case–control study with 242 patients with ischemic stroke before the age of 60 years and 239 healthy controls.