RACIAL VARIATION OF FACTOR-VII ACTIVITY AND ANTIGEN LEVELS AND THEIR CORRELATES IN HEALTHY CHINESE AND INDIANS AT LOW AND HIGH-RISK FOR CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE

Plasma factor VII activity (FVIIc) is one of the independent risk fact ors of coronary artery disease (CAD) and is controlled by both genetic and environmental factors. South Asians including Indians have one of the highest prevalence and mortality rates from CAD while the Chinese have a much lower risk. Generally accepted risk factors cannot explai n the high mortality from CAD in Indians. We examined two hundred an s eventy seven Chinese (124 m, 153 f); and 216 healthy Indian (150 m, 66 f) adults for serum lipids; plasma FVIIc and FVIIag levels in order t o examine racial variations of these and their correlates in these two populations. Both Indian men and women had significantly higher FVIIc levels (12% and 11%, respectively) than the Chinese even after adjust ments of age, BMI and lipids (P < 0.01). In contrast, Indians had sign ificantly lower plasma FVIIag levels than Chinese (8%, and 9%, respect ively in men and women; P < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis shows a strong correlation of FVIIc with serum triglycerides accounti ng for 4-8% of the total variability of FVIIc in different groups. Fur ther. there was a stronger correlation between FVIIc and FVIIag in Ind ians than that in the Chinese (0.43 vs. 25) suggesting a greater activ ation resulting in higher FVIIc in Indians inspite of lower FVIIag lev els. The higher FVIIc and stronger activation by triglycerides observe d in this study partly explain the higher risk of CAD in Indians.