Risk of myocardial infarction related to factor V Leiden mutation: a meta-analysis

Myocardial infarction (MI) can be due to inherited thrombophilia caused by resistance to activated protein C resulting from factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation. The objectives of this study were to estimate the frequency of FVL mutation among MI cases in various populations and calculate the overall risk related to it. Subjects comprised 7790 cases with MI and 19,276 healthy controls collected from 41 relevant studies in the search databases. The resulting frequency of FVL mutation among cases and the odds ratio were compared and integrated in a meta-analysis format. Although there was marked variation of the frequency of FVL mutation among different populations including MI and healthy controls, most studies reported a positive risk related to it. Compilation of analyzed studies resulted in an overall frequency of FVL mutation of 6.791% among MI cases, which was significantly higher than that among controls (1.304%, p = 0.0) with an overall odds ratio of 1.608 (95% confidence interval, 1.98-4.44). There is a definite risk related to the carriage of FVL mutation among MI cases. This should have a potential impact on the genetic counseling of family members of affected cases for proper prophylaxis.