Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases  2008;64(6):466-470

doi:10.4046/trd.2008.64.6.466

A Case of Pulmonary Embolism in a Patient with a Factor VII Gene Promoter -401G/A Polymorphism.

Bo Ram MIN 1 ; Shin KIM ; Ji Hae PARK ; Jin Nyeong CHAE ; Won Il CHOI

Affiliations

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Keywords

Factor VII; Pulmonary embolism; Genetic polymorphism

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

A factor VII gene -401 G/A polymorphism was identified in a patient with a pulmonary embolism. The patient was a 71-year-old woman who presented with acute-onset dyspnea. A chest CT scan revealed a pulmonary embolism. Despite the administration of low-dose warfarin as anticoagulation therapy, there was an excessively prolonged prothrombin time (PT). The blood tests revealed lower factor VII activity than normal. Full factor VII gene sequencing revealed a G to A substitution at ?401 in the promoter region. There were no other gene sequence anomalies. PCR-based analysis indicated lower factor VII gene expression in the patient than in a control subject. The data suggested the promoter polymorphism to be responsible for the lower transcription level. In conclusion, we encountered a case of Factor VII DNA polymorphism in a patient with a pulmonary embolism showing significantly reduced Factor VII activity.