A population-based study in Ghana to investigate inter-individual variation in plasma t-PA and PAI-1.

Introduction: Susceptibility to arterial thrombosis has a significant genetic component that is partly due to the expression of two proteins, tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), that directly influence thrombus formation and degradation. We have initiated a large-scale population-based study to characterize the genetic architecture of plasma t-PA and PAI-1 in Blacks from Sunyani, Ghana.

Design: The design of the study is based on the recruitment of 2000 unrelated subjects who are ascertained without regard to chronic disease status.