FACTOR-V-LEIDEN IN GREEK THROMBOPHILIC PATIENTS - RELATIONSHIP WITH ACTIVATED PROTEIN-C RESISTANCE TEST AND LEVELS OF THROMBIN-ANTITHROMBINCOMPLEX AND PROTHROMBIN FRAGMENT-1+2

We studied 172 Greek patients (72 men aged 44.0+/-16.7 years and 100 w omen aged 46.5+/-14.1 years) with an unexplained thrombophilic tendenc y. One hundred and four apparently healthy persons (63 men aged 34.2+/ -10.0 years and 41 women aged 37.1+/-13.3 years) were included as a co ntrol group. We performed the activated protein C resistance (APC-r) t est using a clotting test (Chromogenix kit), detection of factor V Lei den using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphisms and measurement of thrombin-antithrombin complexes (TAT) and prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2) levels with an immunoenzymatic as say. The normal range for the APC-r test (> 2.12) was determined from the controls. The factor V Leiden mutation was found in 31.9% of all t he patients tested, in 28.1% of the unrelated patients with documented thrombophilic tendency of unknown origin and in 4.8% of the healthy c ontrols. The APC-r test had a sensitivity of 0.42 and a specificity of 0.91 for the detection of factor V Leiden. Furthermore, we found no s ignificant difference in levels of TAT and F1+2 between patients with and without the mutation and there was no correlation between aPC-r va lues and levels of TAT and F1+2.