Title: Homocysteine, Folate and Vitamin B<sub>12</sub> in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease
Abstract: <i>Background/Aims:</i> Homocysteine and possibly also folate and vitamin B<sub>12</sub> are involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. We investigated the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), as well as folate and vitamin B<sub>12</sub>, the main nutritional factors determining the level of homocysteine. <i>Methods:</i> Patients with angiographically documented CHD were prospectively investigated (n = 315, 70% male, mean age 61 [range 36–81] years). Fasting total serum homocysteine was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. Folic acid and vitamin B<sub>12</sub> were measured with AxSYM® Systems. <i>Results:</i> Median homocysteine concentrations for homocysteine, folate and vitamin B<sub>12</sub> were 12.8 µmol/l, 6.8 ng/ml and 345 pg/ml, respectively. Homocysteine levels >10 µmol/l were found in 82% of men and 73% of women. In 19% of the patients serum folate was <3 ng/ml and 22% of the patients had serum vitamin B<sub>12</sub> values <250 pg/ml. In a multivariate linear regression model, folate and vitamin B<sub>12</sub> showed significant negative correlations to homocysteine, explaining 5 and 3% of its variability. Age and creatinine were the most important determinants for serum homocysteine, contributing 12 and 7%, respectively. <i>Discussion:</i> The main determinants of total homocysteine in patients with CHD are higher age and increased creatinine. The association of lower levels of folate and vitamin B<sub>12</sub> with higher levels of homocysteine may indicate poor dietary habits in these patients.
Publication Year: 2006
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
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Cited By Count: 14
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