What Does It Mean to Have the Prothrombin 20210 Mutation?
It was discovered in 1996 that a specific change in the genetic code causes the body to produce too much of the prothrombin protein. Having too much prothrombin makes the blood more likely to clot. People with this condition are said to have a prothrombin mutation, also called the prothrombin variant, prothrombin G20210A, or a factor II mutation. How Did I Get the Prothrombin 20210 Mutation? You inherit 2 copies of all of your genes from your parents; one from your mother and one from your father. Therefore, we all have 2 prothrombin genes. It is possible to have a mutation in only 1 of your prothrombin genes. If this is the case, it is said that you are heterozygous for the gene mutation; you inherited the mutation from either your mother or your father. It is rare to have a mutation in both copies of the prothrombin gene, ie, have inherited the mutation from both your mother and your father, but if you do, you are said to be homozygous. How Is the Diagnosis Made? The diagnosis of a p
