Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the VKORC1 gene and the risk of stroke in the Southern German population

Variation in the gene that encodes the vitamin K epoxide reductase subunit 1 (VKORC1) was recently proposed as a genetic risk factor for stroke in a Chinese population. In this ethnic group, only two common haplotypes were observed, with the C-allele of the polymorphism rs2359612 (VKORC1: c.283+837C > T) associated with stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Recently, the influence of VKORC1 haplotypes on venous thrombosis and coronary heart disease was analyzed in study populations from France and Northern Germany. We studied the frequencies of the VKORC1 haplotypes in a series of young (< 50 years, n = 158) patients with ischemic stroke from Southern Germany. The data were compared with findings from age-matched healthy control subjects from the same population (n = 213). In a replica study we also analysed older stroke patients (> 50 years, n = 135) and matched control subjects (n = 113). Neither in the young population, nor in the replica study, we observed significant differences in VKORC1 haplotype distributions between healthy control subjects and patients with ischemic stroke. Our data do not confirm the association between polymorphism in the VKORC1 gene and stroke in the German population.