A new study reveals that a specific genetic variant can affect blood clotting in completely opposite ways depending on your sex. Researchers found that women with the variant had increased platelet aggregation, meaning their blood clotted more easily. In men, the same variant led to decreased aggregation, or less clotting.
The finding comes from a meta-analysis of three large, long-running studies: GeneSTAR, the Framingham Heart Study, and the Old Order Amish cohort. The variant, called rs116725046, is located in a region of the genome known as LINC00702. The association was genome-wide significant, meaning it's very unlikely to be a coincidence.
This is important because platelet aggregation is a key factor in thrombotic risk, which includes dangerous blood clots that can cause heart attacks or strokes. If a genetic test can predict risk differently for women and men, it could lead to more personalized prevention strategies.
However, this is an association study, not a cause-and-effect experiment. The researchers found a link between the variant and platelet function, but they haven't proven that the variant directly causes the changes. More research is needed to understand the biological mechanism and to confirm the findings in other populations.