OBJECTIVETo investigate the association of activated coagulation factor VII(F7a) and its gene Msp I polymorphism with coronary heart disease in elderly patients.

METHODSThis was a case-control study, and the method of candidate gene was adopted. F7 genotypes were identified with polymerase chain reaction amplified genomic deoxyribonulieic acid (DNA) and Msp I restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, and the level of plasma F7a was detected with recombinant tissue factor method for 108 elderly patients with coronary heart disease and 120 sex- and age-matched healthy control subjects.

RESULTS(1) Plasma F7a levels was significantly higher in elderly patients with coronary heart disease than in healthy control subjects (2.88 +/- 0.62 vs 2.58 +/- 0.60 microg/L, P < 0.05), and was significantly higher in old myocardial infarction than in stable angina pectoris (3.12 +/- 0.62 vs 2.76 +/- 0.60, P < 0.05). F7a was shown to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease in elderly patients by Logistic regression analysis (OR=1.21 P < 0.05). (2) The allelic frequencies were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The results suggested that the distribution of genotype and allelic frequencies in the groups displayed no significant difference, and there was no difference between the subgroups of coronary heart disease in elderly patients, either (P > 0.05). (3) F7a level was significantly higher in RR genotype than in Q allele carriers (2.72 +/- 0.60 vs 1.98 +/- 0.59 microg/L, P < 0.05) and was associated with F7 gene polymorphism.

CONCLUSIONPlasma F7a level may be an independent risk factor of coronary heart disease in elderly patients, and it may be influenced by the Msp I polymorphism of F7 gene.