Is Factor V Leiden life threatening?
Factor V Leiden can cause blood clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) and lungs (pulmonary embolism). These blood clots can be life-threatening.
What does positive factor V Leiden mean?
Factor V Leiden thrombophilia is an inherited disorder of blood clotting . Factor V Leiden is the name of a specific gene mutation that results in thrombophilia, which is an increased tendency to form abnormal blood clots that can block blood vessels.
Is Factor 5 Leiden bad?
Factor V Leiden is thus a weak risk factor for developing blood clots; in fact, most people who have heterozygous factor V Leiden never develop blood clots. Homozygous factor V Leiden increases the risk of developing clots to a greater degree, about 25- to 50-fold.
What percentage of the population has factor V Leiden?
Factor V Leiden is the most common inherited form of thrombophilia. Between 3 and 8 percent of the Caucasian (white) U.S. and European populations carry one copy of the factor V Leiden mutation, and about 1 in 5,000 people have two copies of the mutation. The mutation is less common in other populations.
Which blood thinner is best for factor V Leiden?
Heparin. This anticoagulant medication works more quickly than warfarin does. It can be administered directly into a vein (intravenously) or under the skin (subcutaneously). You can inject yourself with some forms of heparin, including enoxaparin (Lovenox) and dalteparin (Fragmin).
What is the difference between Factor V and factor V Leiden?
Factor V Leiden is a completely different inherited disorder in which factor V is mutated in a specific gene, which results in a hypercoagulable state. The mutation is very common, occurring in 5% of the US population. Factor V activity levels in patients with factor V Leiden are usually normal.
What do you need to know about factor V Leiden?
Factor V Leiden. Overview. Factor V Leiden (FAK-tur five LIDE-n) is a mutation of one of the clotting factors in the blood. This mutation can increase your chance of developing abnormal blood clots, most commonly in your legs or lungs. Most people with factor V Leiden never develop abnormal clots.
Is it possible to have two abnormal Leiden genes?
Sometimes both parents pass factor V Leiden to their offspring, making it possible to have two abnormal genes. If this applies to you, then you are homozygous for factor V Leiden, and 100% of your factor V is the abnormal Leiden variant. How Is the Diagnosis Made?
What are the signs and symptoms of Leiden?
If signs and symptoms do occur, they can include: 1 Pain 2 Swelling 3 Redness 4 Warmth
What are the factors that increase the risk of Leiden?
Factors that increase this risk include: Two faulty genes. Immobility. Estrogens. Surgeries or injuries. Non-O blood type.