Association between von Willebrand factor gene polymorphism and preeclampsia

Aims: The aims of this study were to assess whether the Msp I polymorphism of von Willebrand factor (vWF)(intron) (19) gene differs between patients with preeclampsia and normal pregnancies in Chinese Han population, and to study the relationship between the Msp I polymorphism in the vWF(intron) (19) gene and severity of preeclampsia symptoms within the preeclampsia group. Methods: In this case-control study, peripheral blood samples of 70 patients with preeclampsia and 82 normal pregnancies were genotyped for the Msp I polymorphism in vWF(intron 19) gene on the basis of a hospital-based study. The genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and direct sequencing techniques. Results: The genotype frequencies for M+/M+, M+/M- and M-/M- were 22.9, 45.7 and 31.4% in patients with preeclampsia, and 1.2, 36.6 and 62.2% in normal pregnancies, respectively. The frequency of the M+ allele in patients with preeclampsia was significantly higher than in normal pregnancies (45.7 vs. 19.5%). Conclusions: The Msp I polymorphism in intron 19 (M+ allele) of vWF gene is associated with the development and the severity of preeclampsia, and may be a susceptibility factor for preeclampsia.