α1-Antichymotrypsin gene polymorphism in patients with stroke

Abstract

Background and Purpose - A role for proteolytic enzymes has been suggested in the pathogenesis of stroke. In a search for new genetic factors, we investigated the gene polymorphism of the serine protease inhibitor α1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) in patients with stroke. Methods-Two hundred twenty patients with acute ischemic stroke (n=182) and primary intracerebral hemorrhage (n=38) and 70 control subjects without clinical cerebrovascular disease were genotyped for the ACT polymorphism. Results - The ACT-TT genotype was more frequent in patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage than in patients with ischemic stroke (31.6% versus16.4%, P<0.05) or in control subjects (21.4%, P=0.1). After adjusting for age, gender, and vascular risk factors, the ACT-TT genotype was associated with primary intracerebral hemorrhage, with an OR of 2.3 (95% CI 1.0 to 5.2) compared with ischemic stroke and an OR of 1.8 (95% CI 0.85 to 9.65) compared with controls. Conclusions - Pending confirmation in a larger study, our results suggest that the ACT-TT genotype might be a risk factor for primary cerebral hemorrhage.