Homocysteine levels in patients with risk factors for atherosclerosis.

Summary BLtckgrOund: Abundant epidemiological evidence has demonstrated that the presence of mild to moderate hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis in the coronary, cerebral, and peripheral vasculature, and for vascular disease, including coronary disease. It has been demonstrated that plasma total homocysteine level is a strong predictor of mortality in patients with angiographically confirmed coronary artery disease. Hvpothesis: The study was undertaken to determine the extent of homocysteine levels in patients without documented coronary artery disease, but with at least one risk factor for atherosclerosis. Methods: Fasting blood samples were collected prospectively from 160 consecutive patients (50 women and 1 10 men, mean age 65 f 7 years) who had at least one risk factor for atherosclerosis, but had no documented coronary artery disease. Homocysteine levels were measured by an immunoassay method. Resulrs: Of the patients studied, 78 (48.75%) with at least one risk factor for atherosclerosis had high homocysteine levels; 62 patients had mild hyperhomocysteinemia ( 15-30 pmol/l); and 16 patients had moderate hyperhomocysteinemia (3C100 pnolil).