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The plasma homocysteine concentrations and prior myocardial infarction

Lucia Agoşton-Coldea1, Teodora Mocan, Andrada Seicean

  • 1Department of Medical Sciences, Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. luciacoldea@yahoo.com

Romanian Journal of Internal Medicine = Revue Roumaine De Medecine Interne
|December 25, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Elevated plasma homocysteine levels predict cardiovascular events and correlate with coronary artery disease severity. This study suggests homocysteine as a valuable clinical marker for cardiovascular risk assessment.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Elevated plasma homocysteine is linked to vascular disease and cardiovascular event risk.
  • Homocysteine levels may correlate with disease severity in patients with coronary artery disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the relationship between homocysteine concentrations and coronary artery disease (CAD) progression.
  • To evaluate homocysteine as a predictor of cardiovascular events in patients with prior myocardial infarction.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 208 patients, divided into those with prior myocardial infarction (n=104) and a control group without coronary artery disease (n=104).
  • Plasma homocysteine levels were measured and analyzed in relation to cardiovascular risk factors and disease presence.

Main Results:

  • Patients with prior myocardial infarction exhibited significantly higher mean plasma homocysteine levels compared to controls (18.98 ± 4.72 vs. 14.09 ± 3.32 µmol/L, p < 0.001).
  • Multivariate analysis identified homocysteine >15 µmol/L as an independent cardiovascular risk factor (OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.56-2.54).
  • Receiver Operator Curve analysis indicated good reliability for homocysteine in diagnosing coronary artery disease (AUC = 0.671, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

  • A positive correlation was observed between plasma homocysteine levels and the severity of coronary lesions (r = 0.765, p < 0.005).
  • The findings support the use of plasma homocysteine as a clinical marker for cardiovascular risk assessment.
Abstract

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