We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Warfarin Bleeding Risk SNPs Identified in African Americans

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 08 Nov 2018
Major Warfarin-related bleeding occurs more frequently in African Americans than in other populations. More...
Identification of potential genetic factors related to this adverse event may help identify at-risk patients.

Warfarin is an anticoagulant used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. A handful of new variants have been identified that appear to predispose individuals of African descent to increased risk of bleeding when taking the anticoagulant warfarin.

Scientists at Northwestern University (Chicago, IL, USA) and their colleagues conducted a genome-wide association study involving 31 individuals who experienced warfarin-related bleeding and 184 control individuals who were treated with warfarin but did experience subsequent bleeding problems. The team genotyped at almost 8.2 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using the Illumina 610 Quad BeadChip. Major bleeding was defined as bleeding requiring hospitalization, causing a decrease in hemoglobin level of more than 2 g/dL, requiring blood transfusion, or any combination of the 3, while taking warfarin at an international normalized ratio INR of less than 4.

The team found four suspicious SNPs in linkage disequilibrium on chromosome 6. Following a replication analysis in another 40 cases and 148 bleeding-free, warfarin-treated controls, one of the variants rs78132896 in the promoter of the EPHA7 protein tyrosine kinase ephrin subfamily gene, showed genome-wide significant ties to bleeding risk in the African Americans assessed, based on a coagulation assay known as the international normalized ratio (INR). The team's subsequent in vitro expression assays indicated that rs78132896 SNP, in the EPHA7 promoter, and a variant in linkage disequilibrium in the gene's enhancer, appeared to correspond to more pronounced EPHA7 expression. The SNP rs78132896 occurred in 11 cases (35.5%) and nine controls (4.9%) in the discovery cohort, and the association was confirmed in the replication cohort, the SNP was present in 14 cases (35.0%) and seven controls (4.8%).

Minoli A. Perera, PharmD, PhD, an associate professor and a senior author of the study, said, “In this preliminary study involving patients of African descent taking warfarin, four single nucleotide polymorphisms in linkage disequilibrium on chromosome 6 were associated with an increased risk of major bleeding at an INR of less than four.” The study was published on October 23, 2018, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Related Links:
Northwestern University


New
Gold Member
Immunochromatographic Assay
CRYPTO Cassette
Collection and Transport System
PurSafe Plus®
New
Pipette
Accumax Smart Series
New
Hemodynamic System Monitor
OptoMonitor
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: New research points to protecting blood during radiation therapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Pioneering Model Measures Radiation Exposure in Blood for Precise Cancer Treatments

Scientists have long focused on protecting organs near tumors during radiotherapy, but blood — a vital, circulating tissue — has largely been excluded from dose calculations. Each blood cell passing through... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The VENTANA HER2 (4B5) test is now CE-IVDR approved (Photo courtesy of Roche)

Companion Diagnostic Test Identifies HER2-Ultralow Breast Cancer and Biliary Tract Cancer Patients

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Europe, with more than 564,000 new cases and 145,000 deaths annually. Metastatic breast cancer is rising in younger populations and remains the leading cause... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: An adult fibrosarcoma case report has shown the importance of early diagnosis and targeted therapy (Photo courtesy of Sultana and Sailaja/Oncoscience)

Accurate Pathological Analysis Improves Treatment Outcomes for Adult Fibrosarcoma

Adult fibrosarcoma is a rare and highly aggressive malignancy that develops in connective tissue and often affects the limbs, trunk, or head and neck region. Diagnosis is complex because tumors can mimic... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: Conceptual design of the CORAL capsule for microbial sampling in the small intestine (H. Mohammed et al., Device (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2025.100904)

Coral-Inspired Capsule Samples Hidden Bacteria from Small Intestine

The gut microbiome has been linked to conditions ranging from immune disorders to mental health, yet conventional stool tests often fail to capture bacterial populations in the small intestine.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.