Genetics of platelet reactivity in normal, healthy individuals.

Background: The Platelet Function Analyzer-100 (PFA-100) is widely used to measure platelet reactivity in whole blood under high shear.

Objective: To characterize the genetic component of platelet reactivity among normal individuals, using the PFA-100.

Methods: We compared baseline platelet reactivity with sex, age, platelet count, hematocrit, plasma von Willebrand factor antigen (VWF:Ag), and alleles of seven candidate genes: integrin subunits alpha2 (ITGA2) and beta3 (ITGB3), platelet glycoproteins GPIbalpha (GP1BA) and GPVI (GP6), purinogenic receptors (P2RY1 and P2RY12) and cyclooxygenase-1 (COX1).