Pharmacogenetics Newsletter

Volume 1, Issue 12, 12/16/2009

Question

What are some common genetic risk factors that put women at risk for developing venous thromboembolism (DVT and/or pulmonary embolism) when taking oral contraceptives (birth control pills)?

Answer

The use of combined oral contraceptives (containing estrogen and progesterone) is common across the world.  Unfortunately, they have also been plagued with adverse drug events that have caused much debate about their safety in the general population. One such adverse drug event that dates back to the early 1960's is the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes both deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE).(1-7) It has been estimated that the annual incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in women of child bearing age who are not taking oral contraceptives to be 1 in 10,000.(8)  However, this incidence is increased 3-5 fold when women of child bearing age use estrogen containing oral contraceptives.(9)  When this risk is broken down further, it appears that the....

......To read the full answer please LOGIN or SUBSCRIBE NOW.