Association of Functional VKORC1 Promoter Polymorphism with Occurrence and Clinical Aspects of Ischemic Stroke in a Greek Population

Genetic factors are considered to play an important role in determining the susceptibility to the occurrence, clinical course, and functional outcome of an acute ischemic stroke (IS). Undercarboxylation of specific vitamin K-dependent proteins, due to genetic polymorphisms of VKORC1, can affect both vascular calcification and thrombogenicity. We sought to determine the association of VKORC1 -1639G > A polymorphism with IS incidence, age of onset, severity of disease, and functional outcome after an acute IS. VKORC1 -1639G > A polymorphism was determined in 145 consecutive patients with first ever IS and 145 age- and sex-matched control subjects of Greek Caucasian origin using PCR-RFLP. Stroke severity and functional outcome were assessed on admission and at one month after stroke, respectively. Frequency of VKORC1 -1639G > A genotypes did not differ between IS patients and controls (OR = 1.12, P = 0.51). Moreover, carriage of the A allele was not associated with age of stroke onset, severity of disease (Scandinavian stroke scale score 32.2 versus 32.9, resp., P = 0.96), or poor outcome at 1 month post-stroke (52.9 versus 64.4%, resp., P = 0.31). In conclusion, VKORC1 -1639G > A polymorphism is not a genetic determinant of IS occurrence, age of onset, severity, or functional outcome of disease in a Greek population.