The PlA2 allele (heterozygotes or homozygotes) resulting from a genetic polymorphism in the glycoprotein IIIa gene has been proposed as a potential genetic factor linked to platelet hyperaggregability and increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Such an association could only be established in some ethnic groups. There were no previous reports investigating the distribution of this allele and its possible link to CAD in Arabs. We used the polymerase chain reaction and allele-specific restriction digestion for determining the prevalence of this allele in 509 healthy blood donors (BD) and 451 angiographically confirmed CAD patients of Arabic ethnic background. For the BD group (n = 509), 70.7% were homozygous PlA1/PlA1, 26.9% were heterozygous PlA1/PlA2 and 2.4% were homozygous PlA2/PlA2. Within the CAD group (n = 451), 77.2% were homozygous PlA1/PlA1, 19.5% were heterozygous PlA1/PlA2 and 3.3% were homozygous PlA2/PlA2. The PlA1 allele frequency was 0.84 and 0.87, and for the PlA2 was 0.16 and 0.13 for the BD and CAD groups, respectively. In conclusion, our results suggest that the PlA1/PlA1 genotype (P = 0.029) is associated with CAD in Saudi Arabs.
Copyright 2004 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins