The objective of this study was to analyze the frequencies of the alleles and genotypes of the gene encoder of the fibrinogen b-chain in patients suffering from peripheral artery disease. A total of 62 male Caucasoid patients with ages varying from 38 to 79 years old were studied. All the patients had clinical symptoms of peripheral artery disease, which was later confirmed by angiography. Forty of the patients had atherosclerotic obstructions of the iliac, femoral or carotid arteries and 22 suffered from aneurysms of the thoracic, abdominal or thoracoabdominal aortas. All the patients were submitted to surgery. A control group was formed of 62 individuals, with ages ranging from 43 to 80 years old, without clinical histories or alterations in their clinical examinations of peripheral artery disease. Individuals with renal disease, liver disease or diabetes mellitus were excluded. Analysis of the fibrinogen b-chain was performed using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism with Bcl I endonuclease. Three genotypes, B1/B1, B1/B2 and B2/B2 were identified. Statistical analysis was made using the Fisher Exact test, odds ratio, Kruskal-Wallis test and variance analysis (ANOVA). A p-value = 0.05 was considered significant. The B1 allele was the most prevalent in both patients and the control group (0.819 and 0.857, respectively), with prevalence of the B1/B1 genotype in patients and controls (65.9% vs. 71.4% respectively), followed by B1/B2 (31.8% vs. 28.6% respectively). No significant difference was observed in relation to the Bcl I polymorphisms of the fibrinogen b-chain and obstructive and aneurysmal peripheral artery disease. In conclusion, the B1 and B2 polymorphisms of the fibrinogen b-chain and their respective genotypes do not have any influence in peripheral artery disease.
Fibrinogen genetic polymorphisms; peripheral artery disease
