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The main purpose was to estimate hazard ratios for venous thromboembolism in factor V Leiden heterozygotes and homozygotes in the adult Danish population and for that 9253 individuals participated. The conclusion is that the hazard ratios for venous thromboembolism in factor V Leiden heterozygotes and homozygotes compared with non-carriers in the adult Danish population are approximately 3 and 18.

Background: A deteriorating effect of severe alpha(sub 1)-antitrypsin deficiency (ZZ genotype) on lung function is well known, whereas the role of intermediate deficiency (MZ genotype) remains uncertain. Objective: To test the hypothesis that MZ intermediate alpha(sub 1)-antitrypsin deficiency affects pulmonary function and disease. Design: Population-based cohort study with 21-year follow-up. Setting: Copenhagen, Denmark. Participants: 9187 adults randomly selected from the Danish general population. Measurements: Plasma alpha(sub 1)-antitrypsin levels, annual decrease in FEV(sub 1), airway obstruction, and hospitalization and mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Results: 451 participants (4.9%) carried the MZ genotype. Plasma alpha(sub 1)-antitrypsin levels were 31% lower in MZ heterozygotes than in persons with the MM genotype (Student t-test, P Conclusions: MZ heterozygotes had a slightly greater rate of decrease in FEV(sub 1) and were modestly over-represented among persons with airway obstructions and COPD. In the population at large, MZ heterozygosity may account for a fraction of COPD cases on the order of 2%, similar to the percentage of persons with COPD who have the severe but rare ZZ genotype.

Background: Researchers have suggested that the deletional allele of the ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) gene insertion-deletion polymorphism is a potent risk factor for myocardial infarction. This association could not be confirmed in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, in which 10 150 persons were studied. The ACE gene polymorphism has also recently been suggested as a potent risk factor for ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Objective: To investigate the association between ACE gene polymorphism and ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Design: Two case-referent studies and a cross-sectional study. Setting: University hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. Participants: Case-referent study 1: 35 women and 38 men who developed ischemic cerebrovascular disease before 50 years of age compared with 1454 women and 1737 men from a general population sample. Case-referent study 2: 82 women and 137 men with ischemic cerebrovascular disease and carotid stenosis greater than 40% compared with 4273 women and 3091 men from the general population sample. Cross-sectional study of the general population sample: 67 women and 93 men with ischemic cerebrovascular disease compared with 4077 women and 3156 men without such disease. Measurements: Genotype; age; body mass index; smoking habits; levels of lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, and fibrinogen; and diagnosis of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Results: Odds ratios for ischemic cerebrovascular disease by ACE genotype classes were not significantly different from 1.0 in women or men in any of the three studies, separately or combined. In a logistic regression analysis that controlled for age and conventional cardiovascular risk factors, odds ratios in either sex still did not significantly differ from 1.0 in any study, separately or combined. Conclusion: In two case-referent studies, a cross-sectional study, and the three studies combined, no statistically significant difference was found in the development of ischemic cerebrovascular disease between genotype classes of the ACE gene polymorphism in women or men., There does not appear to be a link between different genetic forms of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene and risk for strokes among men or women. Genetic tests were performed on 9,495 people including 452 patients who had had strokes or brain vessel disease. Overall, patients carrying one ACE gene form were at no greater risk for stroke than those carrying any of the other ACE gene forms. Comparisons made by age, gender, and added vessel risk factors resulted in similar findings.