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Homocysteine measurements in geriatric patients

S Raeder1, S Landaas, K Laake

  • 1Department of Geriatric Medicine, Ullevaal University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
|June 17, 2006
PubMed

Insights

High homocysteine levels are common in older adults and may indicate low folate and high creatinine. This finding is relevant for geriatric medicine and understanding risk factors for vascular and cognitive disorders.

Area of Science:

  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Clinical Chemistry

Background:

  • Homocysteine is an independent risk factor for vascular disease, cognitive impairment, and dementia.
  • Geriatric patients may have altered homocysteine levels.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the diagnostic correlates of plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) in geriatric in-patients.

Main Methods:

  • Collected blood samples from 114 geriatric patients in stable condition.
  • Analyzed tHcy, serum vitamin B12, serum folate, and red blood cell folate.
  • Correlated tHcy with clinical data.

Main Results:

  • Nearly 40% of patients had tHcy above 20 micromol/L.
  • tHcy significantly correlated with serum folate, serum vitamin B12, serum creatinine, and congestive heart failure.
  • No significant correlation was found between tHcy and red blood cell folate, cerebrovascular disease, coronary heart disease, or cognitive impairment.

Conclusions:

  • Hyperhomocysteinaemia is frequent in geriatric patients.
  • Elevated tHcy may primarily indicate low folate and high creatinine levels.
  • These findings are significant for geriatric medicine and risk assessment.
Abstract

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