title: Thrombophilia: a risk factor for cerebral palsy?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The cause of cerebral palsy remains unknown in most cases. Factor V Leiden mutation, a common cause of hereditary thrombophilia, has been associated with CP.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the prevalence of factor V Leiden (G1691A), prothrombin (G20210A), and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (C677T) mutations in children with CP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one Jewish and Arab children with CP were studied for the presence of the three gene mutations associated with thrombophilia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that 41% of the children with CP and 33% of the controls carry one or more of the studied mutations (P = 0.348). The prevalence of the factor V mutation was 27.9% in CP and 16.4% in controls (P= 0.127). The frequency of the other two genetic factors was even less significant. The FVL mutation was found in 35% of the Arab CP patients (15/42) and in 22% of the controls from the same population (9/40) (P= 0.067).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Each of the genetic factors studied was shown to be related to CP. Despite the high frequency of FVL among the studied patients, we were unable to prove a significant correlation between FVL and CP, mainly because this factor is frequent in the Arab control group. In this population a trend toward significance can be seen (P= 0.067). Larger studies are needed to validate the significance of these results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics B, HaEmek Medical Center, Afula, Israel.
authors.forename: Vered
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yehezkely-Schildkraut
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kutai
authors.forename: Yaser
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hugeirat
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Stavit Alon
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shalev
authors.forename: Galia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazor
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koren
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018912:Arabs; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005165:Factor V / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007557:Israel; D007585:Jews; D008297:Male; D008754:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase (NADP) / Q000235:genetics; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C095381:factor V Leiden; D005165:Factor V; D011516:Prothrombin; D008754:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase (NADP)