Serum Homocysteine (serum + homocysteine)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Serum homocysteine, creatinine, and glucose as predictors of the severity and extent of coronary artery disease in asymptomatic members of high-risk families

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 7 2002
P. Pajunen
Abstract Background There has been no previous study to determine the severity and extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) in subjects with no diagnosis or symptoms of CAD at the time of the angiography. Methods Fifty-three subjects, who were siblings of patients with early onset CAD, underwent coronary angiography. Indices to describe per-patient characteristics of CAD were calculated, based on computer-aided quantitative coronary angiography. Clinical and laboratory characteristics were correlated to the angiographic parameters. Results Serum total homocysteine (, = 0·29, P < 0·05) and creatinine (, = 0·47, P = 0·001) levels were related to the global atheroma burden index. The median of the atheroma burden index was two times higher in the top homocysteine quartile compared to the lowest quartile. The overall atheroma burden index correlated significantly with the fasting blood glucose level in all subjects. Diabetes, especially when albuminuria was present, was a powerful risk factor. In a multivariate analysis, only age and sex were independent predictors of atheroma burden. Conclusions Serum homocysteine and creatinine concentrations, and diabetes with albuminuria were found to be markers of the severity and extent of CAD in subjects of high-risk families without symptoms of CAD. [source]


Steroid-responsive functional B12 deficiency in association with transcobalamin II polymorphism 776C,G

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2006
Daniel P. Gale
Abstract:, We present a case of intracellular vitamin B12 deficiency presenting with confusion, subacute combined degeneration of the cord, megaloblastic anaemia and intrinsic factor antibodies in the serum. Diagnosis was delayed by a normal serum B12 level and was confirmed by a grossly elevated serum homocysteine. There was a dramatic response to steroids. The patient was heterozygous for the transcobalamin (TC) II polymorphism 776C,G. This case demonstrates the importance of functional assessment of intracellular B12 activity (e.g. serum homocysteine) in excluding B12 deficiency, the role of steroids in pernicious anaemia and a possible clinical correlation of a TCII polymorphism. [source]


Relationship of serum homocysteine and high sensitivity C-reactive protein in elderly people with essential hypertension

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 9 2010
L. Yan-Yan
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Livedoid vasculopathy and hypercoagulability in a patient with primary Sjögren's syndrome

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2007
Raquel Cardoso MD
Background, A 31-year-old woman presented with a 5-year history of painful ulcerations, palpable purpura, porcelain-white atrophic scars of the malleolar region and dorsal aspect of the feet, livedo reticularis on the limbs, arthralgia, xerophthalmia, and xerostomia. Methods, Skin biopsy revealed vessel wall hyalinization and thrombosis of the microvasculature with a very scarce dermal inflammatory infiltrate. Biopsy of the oral mucosa showed mononuclear infiltration of an intralobular duct of a salivary gland. Results, Laboratory studies, including autoantibodies and inflammation markers, were normal, except for a positive rheumatoid factor. Coagulation screening revealed C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mutation, with a normal serum homocysteine. The patient was treated with oral methylprednisolone (32 mg/day with progressive reduction) and enoxaparin (20 mg/day subcutaneously), with complete ulcer healing within 4 months. Conclusion, Livedoid vasculitis or vasculopathy has not been referred to previously in association with Sjögren's syndrome, but may be associated with other autoimmune disorders and anomalies of coagulation, namely factor V Leiden mutation, protein C deficiency, and MTHFR mutation, associated or not with hyperhomocysteinemia, a condition that seems to confer an increased risk of recurrent arterial and venous thrombosis. We stress the importance of anticoagulant therapy for ulcer healing and for the prevention of other thrombotic events. [source]


Hyperhomocysteinemia in pediatric and young adult renal transplant recipients

PEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 2 2004
Amir Belson
Abstract:, Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) has been recently identified as an important and reversible cardiovascular risk factor in adult and pediatric renal transplant recipients. A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 70 pediatric and young adult renal transplant recipients was performed to determine the prevalence, and important clinical and laboratory correlates of HHcy. Total homocysteine concentration, free and protein bound, was determined by fluorescence polarization immunoassay using an IMX analyzer. Hyperhomocysteinemia was defined as a serum homocysteine (Hcy) level above the 95th percentile for age. Fifty-four of 70 patients (77%) had HHcy. Comparison of patients with HHcy with patients without HHcy demonstrated no statistical difference in age (p = 0.35), gender (p = 0.76) or donor type (p = 0.20). Patients with HHcy had significantly lower calculated creatinine clearance values (Ccr) (p = 0.02), 67.3 ± 21.2 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 90.7 ± 32.3 mL/min/1.73 m2 for patients without HHcy. Immunosuppression did not correlate with the diagnosis of HHcy. Stepwise logistic regression identified patient age (0.18, p = 0.013) and Ccr (,0.04, p = 0.011) as significant variables. In conclusion, HHcy is more common than expected in pediatric renal transplant recipients. Patients with Ccr <80 mL/min/1.73 m2 were statistically more likely to have a diagnosis of HHcy. We recommend that Hcy levels should be evaluated in this high risk population. [source]


Serum homocysteine concentrations in children with growth hormone (GH) deficiency before and after 12 months GH replacement

CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 5 2004
Valentina Esposito
Summary objective, This open, prospective study was designed to evaluate the effect of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and GH replacement therapy on serum homocysteine (Hcy) concentration in children with GHD. subjects, Seventeen prepubertal children with GHD (11 boys and six girls) aged 8·6 ± 1·9 years were studied before and after 12 months of GH replacement therapy at a dose of GH of 30 µg/kg/day. Seventeen healthy children acted as controls and were matched for age, sex and body mass index (BMI). methods, At study entry, height, weight, blood pressure, serum Hcy, serum IGF-I, total-low density lipoprotein (LDL)- and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, free T4, free T3, vitamin B12, folate, glucose and creatinine were measured in all subjects. The atherogenic index (AI) was also calculated as the ratio of total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol (T/HDL). In GHD children these parameters were also revaluated after 12 months of GH therapy. results, At study entry height and serum IGF-I were significantly lower, as expected, in GHD patients than in controls (P < 0·0001 and P < 0·007, respectively). Serum Hcy levels were significantly higher in GHD patients than in healthy children (8·4 ± 2·9 vs. 6·0 ± 2·9 µmol/l; P < 0·03), although the absolute values were within the normal values for age and sex. There were no significant differences at baseline with respect to blood pressure, serum vitamin B12, folate, fT3, fT4, lipid profile, creatinine and glucose levels. After 12 months of GH replacement therapy height and serum IGF-I increased significantly compared to pretreatment values (P < 0·0001); serum Hcy levels decreased significantly (6·0 ± 3·3 µmol/l; P < 0·002) compared to baseline values, becoming similar to control values. Total cholesterol (3·5 ± 0·6 mmol/l) and the AI (2·5 ± 0·8) decreased significantly with respect to both pretreatment (4·2 ± 1·0 mmol/l; P < 0·0002 and 3·4 ± 0·8; < 0·002, respectively) and control values (4·2 ± 0·4 mmol/l; P < 0·0005 and 3·3 ± 1·1; P = 0·02, respectively). conclusions GHD in children is associated with higher serum levels of Hcy compared to controls, without significantly affecting the lipid profile. GH replacement for 12 months significantly decreased the Hcy levels and improved the lipid profile with a decrease of total cholesterol and the total/HDL cholesterol ratio, compared to pretreatment values. Given the small number of patients, further larger studies are needed to clarify whether these results may have significant effects in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. [source]