β-Fibrinogen Gene -455 G/A Polymorphism in Korean Ischemic Stroke Patients

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We investigated the relationship between the beta-fibrinogen gene (FGB) -455 G/A polymorphism and plasma fibrinogen levels in Korean ischemic stroke patients. We also determined whether the frequency of the -455 G/A polymorphism differed between two subtypes of noncardioembolic stroke: large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) and small-vessel occlusion (SVO). METHODS A total of 267 patients with noncardioembolic stroke were enrolled. Plasma fibrinogen and other risk factors for stroke were evaluated. FGB -455 G/A genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction with restrictive enzyme Hae III and automatic DNA sequencing. RESULTS The FGB -455 G/A polymorphism was significantly associated with an elevated plasma fibrinogen level (p<0.001). The frequency of the A allele in Korean stroke patients was 16.7%. However, the frequency of the -455 G/A polymorphism did not differ between LAA and SVO. CONCLUSIONS The plasma fibrinogen level might be affected by the -455 G/A polymorphism in noncardioembolic stroke patients. However, the LAA and SVO subtypes of ischemic stroke were not affected by the -455 G/A polymorphism.