When my son was born, he was rushed to the emergency room because he stopped breathing and turned blue.
After a long search they found that I have Leiden factor V and passed it on to him.
He had a blood clot in his brain.
After 2 months he had an MRI scan and the blood clot is completely gone.
When I ask if this is causing further problems, the doctors all say no.
Leiden factor V is worse in a girl than in a boy.
But why was he almost not there at birth?
Should I still be concerned about blood clots or illness and medication?
Answer
Dear Vanessa,
Factor V Leiden is a mutation in the Factor V gene, a protein that plays an important role in blood clotting. This mutation gives rise to so-called activated protein C resistance or aPC resistance for short. Protein C is a protein that will inhibit the action of coagulation factor V, but due to the mutation, Factor V becomes resistant to the inhibitory action of protein C and there will therefore be an overactivity of this coagulation protein. This overactivity of clotting can then give rise to blood clots (thromboses) that can eventually break loose and end up in other places (for example in the lungs where they can cause a pulmonary embolism).
Your son will therefore have an increased risk of thrombosis compared to someone who does not have this mutation. How much greater that chance is is variable: it may be that only 1 of the 2 genes for factor V are affected (one speaks of a heterozygous form), or in rare cases the 2 genes of factor V may be affected (the homozygous form). The heterozygous form gives a 5-10 times increased risk of thrombosis compared to normal persons, the homozygous form a 50-80 times increased risk.
It is true that girls/women have a thrombosis more often than boys/men due to anatomical and hormonal differences. Factor V Leiden indeed causes more problems in women (certainly in combination with the pill or pregnancy), but is not completely insignificant for boys/men.
Answered by
dr. Glenn Van den Bosch
Medicine: microbiology, blood diseases, immunology
Prinsstraat 13 2000 Antwerp
http://www.uantwerpen.be
.