PREVALENCE OF FACTOR-V-LEIDEN (APCR) AND OTHER INHERITED THROMBOPHILIAS IN YOUNG-PATIENTS WITH MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION AND NORMAL CORONARY-ARTERIES

Objective-To investigate the role of activated protein C resistance (A PCR, factor V Leiden) in coronary artery thrombosis. Methods-The preva lence of APCR and of congenital deficiencies of antithrombin III, prot ein C, protein S, plasminogen, and factor XII was investigated in adul t patients under 45 years of age with acute myocardial infarction. The results were compared with those of a group of 53 age anal sex matche d control subjects. Results-Among 75 patients under the age of 45 year s who were admitted from No November 1994 to April 1996 for acute myoc ardial infarction, 22 (29.3%) had normal coronary arteriography (group I) and 53 (70.7%) had significant coronary artery disease (group II). Inherited thrombophilia was more often found in group I (4/22, 18.2%) than in group IP (4/53, 7.5%) but the difference was not significant (F test: p = 0.22). The prevalence of APCR was 9.1% (2/22) in group I, 3.8% (2/53) in group 2 (g = 0.57), and 3.8% (2/53) in the normal cont rol group (p = 0.57). Conclusions-The prevalence of congenital thrombo philias, including APCR, does not seem to be increased in young patien ts with myocardial infarction and normal coronary angiograms, compared with young patients with coronary atherosclerosis and with normal con trol subjects. However, the statistical power of the study is too low to detect a significant difference and these results are published to allow a meta-analysis of this problem in the future.