Objective: Variations in complement factor H, which down-regulates the activity of the alternative complement pathway, have been associated with different vascular disorders. Here we examine whether factor H variation is involved in the etiology of preeclampsia.
Methods: We studied 110 women with preeclampsia and 99 controls for complement factor H variations by sequencing.
Results: No significant differences in the genotype or allele frequencies of the Y402H variant were detected between the two groups. No sequence variations were detected in the short consensus repeat domain 20 of the gene.
Conclusions: Neither the Y402H variant, nor mutations in the short consensus repeat domain 20 of the gene is associated with preeclampsia. For examination of possible links to other polymorphisms or detection of small genotypic effects, studies in larger sample sets are warranted.