SummaryThe point mutation Arg506->Gln of factor V was recently shown to be an important and relatively common genetic cause of venous thromboembolism. Using a DNA technique based on polymerase chain reaction, we surveyed the blood samples of 236 patients with ischaemic stroke or a transient ischaemic attack, 122 survivors of myocardial infarction and 137 control subjects for the presence of this mutation. Although the frequency of the factor V mutation in patients with arterial disease (4.5%) was not significantly different from that in healthy blood donors (2.9%), a carrier status for this mutant gene was associated with symptoms of migraine and relatively mild angiographic abnormalities among patients with cerebrovascular disease. A more extensive study addressing the occurrence and significance of the mutant factor V mutation in patients with vasospastic cerebrovascular diseases seems to be warranted.

The TPM1-D175N and MYBPC3-Q1061X mutations account for a substantial part of all HCM cases in the Finnish population, indicating that routine genetic screening of these mutations is warranted in Finnish patients with HCM.

The genes encoding apolipoproteins (apos) A-I, B, C-III and E as well as that encoding the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) have been proposed as candidate genes for coronary heart disease (CHD). We determined the common polymorphisms of the apo genes, previously found to influence serum lipid levels at the population level, and the insertion/deletion polymorphism of the ACE gene, recently reported to reflect the risk of myocardial infarction, in 82 very young (mean, 41 years) North Karelian Finns with symptomatic CHD and 50 controls of similar age. Patients with familial hypercholesterolemia had been excluded from this material. None of the polymorphisms examined, including the apo A-I promoter MspI, apo C-III SstI and apo B XbaI restriction fragment polymorphisms, a common variation of apo E (epsilon 2, epsilon 3 and epsilon 4 alleles) and an ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism, was significantly associated with the risk of premature CHD. Patients with CHD had a higher mean serum LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio than controls (3.15 +/- 1.30 vs 2.72 +/- 0.98, P < 0.05), but no significant associations between the common apo gene polymorphisms and serum lipid levels were disclosed in either group. It is possible that other genetic loci than those proposed to be associated with accelerated atherosclerosis may be more important as risk factors of symptomatic CHD at the age of 40 years.

Aims Nationwide large‐scale genetic and outcome studies in cohorts with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have not been previously published. Methods and results We sequenced 59 cardiomyopathy‐associated genes in 382 unrelated Finnish patients with HCM and found 24 pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutations in six genes in 38.2% of patients. Most mutations were located in sarcomere genes ( MYBPC3 , MYH7 , TPM1 , and MYL2 ). Previously reported mutations by our study group ( MYBPC3 ‐Gln1061Ter, MYH7 ‐Arg1053Gln, and TPM1 ‐Asp175Asn) and a fourth major mutation MYH7 ‐Val606Met accounted for 28.0% of cases. Mutations in GLA and PRKAG2 were found in three patients. Furthermore, we found 49 variants of unknown significance in 31 genes in 20.4% of cases. During a 6.7 ± 4.2 year follow‐up, annual all‐cause mortality in 482 index patients and their relatives with HCM was higher than that in the matched Finnish population (1.70 vs. 0.87%; P < 0.001). Sudden cardiac deaths were rare ( n = 8). Systolic heart failure (hazard ratio 17.256, 95% confidence interval 3.266–91.170, P = 0.001) and maximal left ventricular wall thickness (hazard ratio 1.223, 95% confidence interval 1.098–1.363, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of HCM‐related mortality and life‐threatening cardiac events. The patients with a pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutation underwent an implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation more often than patients without a pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutation (12.9 vs. 3.5%, P < 0.001), but there was no difference in all‐cause or HCM‐related mortality between the two groups. Mortality due to HCM during 10 year follow‐up among the 5.2 million population of Finland was studied from death certificates of the National Registry, showing 269 HCM‐related deaths, of which 32% were sudden. Conclusions We identified pathogenic and likely pathogenic mutations in 38% of Finnish patients with HCM. Four major sarcomere mutations accounted for 28% of HCM cases, whereas HCM‐related mutations in non‐sarcomeric genes were rare. Mortality in patients with HCM exceeded that of the general population. Finally, among 5.2 million Finns, there were at least 27 HCM‐related deaths annually.

Background It has recently been suggested that the Leu33Pro polymorphism of the platelet glycoprotein Ilia affects the risk of coronary thrombosis. Finland is genetically isolated and has an incidence of cardiovascular disease among the highest in the world. Interestingly, the prevalence of ischaemic heart disease also varies in different parts of the country, being highest in eastern Finland.Method We studied the Leu33Pro polymorphism using polymerase chain reaction in 133 patients with coronary artery disease, 234 patients with cerebrovascular disease and 326 control subjects originating from two areas of Finland.Results The frequencies of the Pr033 allele in the patients with acute myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular attack were 13% and 14%, respectively, and did not differ from the controls (13%). Among patients with acute myocardial infarction from the Helsinki area, the family history of premature coronary artery disease was more often positive in carriers of the Pr033 allele than in non-carriers, but after adjustment for multiple comparisons the difference was no longer significant Conclusions We could not confirm the original observation that the Pr033 allele constitutes an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease. Further studies are needed to clarify whether co-occurrence of Pr033 and some unrecognized inherited factor pose an additional risk of vascular disease.