Factor V Leiden and pulmonary embolism in a young woman taking an oral contraceptive

A 34-year-old woman with a history of asthma and oral contraceptive use die d suddenly. Autopsy examination showed chronic pulmonary emboli with an acu te pulmonary saddle embolus. An underlying congenital thrombophilic disorde r was considered. Molecular studies on DNA isolated from blood using polyme rase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFL P) analysis revealed coagulation factor V Leiden mutation. The incidence of venous thromboembolism in patients with factor V Leiden mutation and assoc iated activated protein C (APC) resistance is discussed.