Hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with arterial occlusive disease

Purpose:Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCA) is defined as an independent risk factor for atherothrombotic vascular disease; therefore, screening for HHCA is recommended. However, the incidence and characteristics of HHCA in patients with vascular disease remain unclear. We conducted this study in an attempt to resolve these issues. Methods::This nonrandomized prospective study included 56 patients who were admitted with occlusive arterial disease (group I), and 39 control patients without occlusive arterial disease (group II). We recorded all the demographic data of both groups and collected blood samples for fasting homocysteine, vitamin B-12, and folic acid. All of the patients were followed up and the results were compared. Results:The mean concentration of homocysteine was 12.69 +/- 3.82 mu mol/l in group 1 and 10.46 +/- 5.08 mu mol/l in group II (P = 0.00048). In group I, the mean homocysteine levels for patients aged >= 70 years and those aged < 70 years were 13.74 +/- 3.02 and 11.55 +/- 4.15 mu mol/l, respectively (P = 0.021). There was no significant difference in mortality between the patients with HHCA and those with normal homocysteine levels during follow-up. Conclusion:The incidence of hyperhomocysteinemia was higher in the patients with occlusive vascular disease than in the control patients. More evidence of the association with vitamins B-12 and folate and the benefits of homocysteine-lowering therapy is needed since we found no relationship between these vitamins and homocysteine in this study.