Summary
Venous thrombosis is a multifactorial disease. Multiple interactions between genetic
and environmental factors contribute to the development of the disease. Presently,
we know of six or seven genetic risk factors for venous thrombosis. However, together
these defects can explain the clustering of thrombotic events in only a small subset
of families with thrombophilia. As to the identification of new genetic risk factors
for thrombosis, we seem to have arrived at the end of a practicable road with the
classical approach of thrombophilia, which usually starts with the study of the association
of hemostatic phenotypes and thrombotic risk. At the same time we have undertaken
various genetic approaches aiming at identifying polymorphisms/ mutations causing
thrombotic risk. This review summarizes what we have learnt so far, what to do and
what not to do. The odds for finding remaining common genetic risk factors for venous
thrombosis during the next ten years may be predicted to be fairly high.
Key words
Thrombophilia - venous thrombosis - genetic risk factors - polymorphisms