Serum homocystein level and vascular thrombosis in patients with Behçet disease

Objective:  Behcet disease (BD) is a multisystemic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology that in some patients will present with thrombosis. However, the mechanism of thrombosis is unknown. In this study, we investigate the correlation between homocystein level in BD patients with vascular thrombosis. Patient and methods:  One hundred and twenty-three patients who fullfilled the criteria of the International Study Group for BD (n = 77, 62.6% females and n = 46, 37.4% males) were included in this cross-sectional study. Patients were divided into two groups: with thrombosis (n = 23, 18.7%) and without thrombosis (n = 100, 81.3%). All patients underwent colour Doppler sonography for documentation of vascular thrombosis. Serum homocystein was measured by ELISA method, folate and B12 were measured by radioimmunoassay. Results:  Patients with vascular involvement, vein and/or arterial thrombosis were enrolled. Mean serum homocystein level was significantly higher in the group with thrombosis (P = 0.012) and in male patients than females (18.10 ± 5.5 vs. 13.21 ± 4.1). In multiple regression analysis, the only factors that persisted for thrombosis were age and sex (P = 0.02, P < 0.0001, respectively). Serum folate and B12 were not correlated with thrombosis in BD. Conclusions:  In this study, we found that mean homocystein levels were higher in BD patients with thrombosis and it may have a role in the process of thrombosis in BD.