Background: The investigation of a possible association between the FII, FV, FVII, and FXIII genes polymorphisms and pediatric ischemic stroke (IS).
Methods: The study group consisted of 392 individuals, including 81 children with IS, their biological parents (n=162), and 149 control children. The polymorphisms were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragments length polymorphism method. The relation between analyzed polymorphisms and the disease was tested by 2 independent methods: family-based association test-transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) and classic case-control model.
Results: We did not observe any preferential distribution of any analyzed allele from parents to the affected children. For the FVII gene polymorphism, there was a trend toward a higher frequency of the R allele. In a case-control model, the differences between the patients and controls in the frequency of the Q allele, Q allele carriers, and RR homozygotes lay close to the border of statistical significance (P=0.08). There were no significant differences in genotype and allele distribution between patients and controls in case of other polymorphisms.
Conclusions: Analyzed polymorphisms of coagulation factors are not significant determinants of pediatric IS in the studied population; however, these findings require a confirmation in a larger group of participants.