title: Role of factor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210A in patients with retinal artery occlusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Retinal artery occlusion is a common vision-threatening disease. Among other risk factors, coagulopathies leading to a hypercoagulable state have been associated with retinal artery occlusion. Numerous studies have shown that two genetic variants, factor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210A, cause a procoagulant state. However, their role in the pathogenesis of retinal artery occlusion is still unclear. The purpose of the present study was therefore to investigate a possible association between factor V Leiden, prothrombin 20210A, and retinal artery occlusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present retrospective case-control study, we studied 136 patients with retinal artery occlusion and 136 age- and gender-matched control subjects. The presence of factor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210A alleles was determined by polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of heterozygosity for the prothrombin G20210A variant did not significantly differ between patients and controls (three patients vs two controls, P=0.65). Distribution of factor V Leiden genotypes revealed no significant difference among the two groups (heterozygosity: eight patients vs 11 controls, P=0.47). As for other risk factors, arterial hypertension, a history of stroke and myocardial infarction were significantly more frequent in patients than in controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that factor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210A do not play a major role in patients with retinal artery occlusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology Karl-Franzens University Graz, Austria. martin.weger@kfunigraz.ac.at
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weger
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Renner
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pinter
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Stanger
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Temmel
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fellner
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schmut
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005165:Factor V / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000235:genetics*; D015356:Retinal Artery Occlusion / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: C095381:factor V Leiden; D005165:Factor V; D011516:Prothrombin