Factor V Leiden mutation in Arabs in Kuwait by real-time PCR: different values for different Arabs.
Factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation (G1691A) is a risk factor for development of venous thromboembolic disorders. FVL was found mostly in Caucasians (1-15%) but was almost absent in non-Caucasians. Studies on Arab patients and populations revealed very inconsistent results. This study reports FVL in Arabs living in Kuwait with a focus on the nationality of the Arab subjects studied. Whole-blood samples were collected from 400 healthy Arabs who were 268 Kuwaitis (67%), 50 Syrians (12.5%), 34 Jordanians (8.5%), 8 Palestinians (2%) and 40 Egyptians (10%). DNA extraction was carried out for these blood samples and real-time PCR was performed to detect the presence of FVL. Generally, 36 cases (9%) had the mutation (33 were heterozygous and 3 were homozygous), with an allelic frequency of 0.049. The prevalence of FVL differed in different Arabic cases: Kuwaitis 4.5%, Egyptians 15%, Syrians 16%, Jordanians 23.5% and Palestinians 25%. The allelic frequency was 0.022 in the Kuwaitis and 0.088-0.132 in non-Kuwaitis. The three homozygous cases were from Syria, Jordan and Egypt. In conclusion, the prevalence of FVL in Arabs living in Kuwait is as high as in Caucasians. There is a difference in prevalence among Arabs themselves, being relatively lower in Kuwaitis than in non-Kuwaitis.
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences-Kuwait University, Sulaibekhat, Kuwait. aad@hsc.edu.kw
Ali A
AA
Dashti
Mehrez M
MM
Jadaon
Hend L
HL
Lewis
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D005165:Factor V / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007730:Kuwait; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D055815:Young Adult
C095381:factor V Leiden; D005165:Factor V