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DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1665411
Factor V Leiden and Thermolabile Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase in Extreme Old Age
Publication History
Received 28 1997
Accepted after resubmission 15 July 1997
Publication Date:
12 July 2018 (online)
![](https://www.thieme-connect.de/media/10.1055-s-00035024/199701/lookinside/thumbnails/10-1055-s-0038-1665411-1.jpg)
Summary
Both factor V Leiden and the C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene mutation are associated with premature vascular disease, and yet are found at surprisingly high allele frequencies in European populations, 2.7% and 35% respectively. We have investigated the prevalence of these mutations in 87 UK residents over the age of ninety, to look for any evidence of their association with premature death.
Five factor V Leiden heterozygotes were found, giving an allele frequency of 2.9%, similar to that in the general UK population. The frequency of the thermolabile C677T MTHFR mutation was 36% with 11% homozygotes, again similar to that in the UK population; these genotypes are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, suggesting that there is not strong selection against the homozygous state. One person was both heterozygous for factor V Leiden and homozygous for the C677T mutation. This study suggests that neither factor V Leiden nor thermolabile MTHFR are risk factors for premature death.
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