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Thromb Haemost 1999; 81(03): 382-386
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1614482
Review Article
Schattauer GmbH

Genetic Effects for Plasma Factor VII Levels Independent of and in Common with Triglycerides

Yuling Hong   *
1   From the Divisions of Cardiovascular and Genetic Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
2   Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
,
Nancy L. Pedersen
1   From the Divisions of Cardiovascular and Genetic Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
3   Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
,
Nils Egberg
4   Department of Clinical Chemistry, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
,
Ulf de Faire
1   From the Divisions of Cardiovascular and Genetic Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
2   Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
› Author AffiliationsThe SATSA (Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging) has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Aging (AG-04563, AG-10175), the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Aging, and the Swedish Council for Social Research. In addition, support for this study has been provided by the Swedish Medical Research Council (09533), King Gustav the V and Queen Victoria’s Foundation, and the Swedish Lung and Heart Foundation.
Further Information

Publication History

Received04 June 1998

Accepted after revision02 December 1998

Publication Date:
09 December 2017 (online)

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Summary

Background. Coagulation factor VII has been demonstrated as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Both genes and non-genetic factors are related to plasma levels of factor VII. However, the extent to which genetic effects influence variability in plasma factor VII levels is unknown. Further, increased levels of plasma factor VII are associated with serum triglycerides, yet the reason for this association is not fully understood. Methods and Results. Quantitative genetic analyses were applied to evaluate the relative importance of genetic and different environmental influences on plasma factor VII levels and to test the significance of genetic and environmental factors in common to factor VII and triglycerides in 215 pairs of middle-aged and elderly twins, of whom 104 were reared apart and 120 were women. Genetic influences were found to account for 57% of the individual differences in plasma factor VII levels, whereas shared-rearing and residual-familial environmental factors were not significant. Furthermore, a significant genetic correlation of 0.38 was found between factor VII and triglycerides, but the environmental correlation between these two measures was not significant. Genetic factors in common to factor VII and triglycerides explain about 7% of the total variance for factor VII. Conclusion. The present study suggests that there are substantial genetic influences on plasma factor VII levels. Furthermore, genetic effects explain the phenotypic association between factor VII and triglycerides.

* Current address: Dr. Y. Hong, Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8067, 660 S. Euclid, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA


 

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