HUMAN GENETICS UNIT

Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka Established in 1983

Home
About Us
NEWS
Staff
Consultations
Testing
Education
Research
Clinical Trials
Policy
Ethics
Awareness
Links
MSc Courses
WebMail
SCREENING FOR GENETIC THROMBOPHILIAS

The genetic thrombophilia screening offered by this Unit includes testing for the following genetic polymorphisms: Factor V Leiden; Prothrombin 20210G>A, Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677C>T.

Those who could benefit* from thrombophilia screening are:

PATIENTS WITH VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM
– Patients with a first episode of venous thromboembolism at age <50 years
– Patients with a first episode of venous thromboembolism at >50 years with a positive family history for thrombotic phenomena
– Patients presenting with recurrent episodes at any age without the presence of any other predisposing condition.
 
PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL THROMBOSIS
– Young patients (<50 years of age) who develop acute arterial thrombosis in the absence of other traditional risk factors
– Myocardial infarction in female smokers under age 40
– Female patients receiving hormonal replacement therapy
– Patients with early saphenous vein graft failure
 
ASYMPTOMATIC WOMEN
– Asymptomatic women with a positive family history for venous thromboembolism before use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy
– Women with recurrent pregnancy loss or unexplained intrauterine fetal growth retardation or stillbirth
 
OTHER ASYMPTOMATIC SUBJECTS
– Asymptomatic relatives of patients with known inherited thrombophilia
 
HOW TO SEND SAMPLES: Samples should be sent to the Human Genetics Unit in sterile EDTA tubes. Samples can be sent at room temperature. Samples will be accepted between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on any working day. Alternatively patients can be referred to the Unit on Wednesday mornings between 9 a.m. and 12. noon.
Reports of samples received up to Wednesday on any week are usually issued on Monday of the next week. A detailed interpretation of the test and the test result is provided with the report.

COST OF TESTING: Rs. 2,500/-

*Fedrici, et al., Int J Cardiol. 2005 Aug 13; [Epub ahead of print]