Plasma homocysteine in relation to myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular stroke

ABSTRACT

This study included an acute myocardial infarction group [AMI] including 30 patients with age [mean +/- SD of 47 +/- 6.31 years]; cerebrovascular stroke group [CVS] including 30 patients with age [mean +/- SD of 47.5 +/- 7.3 years] as well as a control group including 30 apparently healthy subjects with age [mean +/- SD of 48.23 +/- 9.1 years]. None of them had diabetes, renal, hepatic disease or hypertension. The sera from all subjects were assayed for fasting blood sugar, serum creatinine, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and the plasma samples were used to measure homocysteine [Hcy]. Low density lipoprotein was obtained by calculation using Friedwald formula. The results of this study suggested that the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia in the Egyptian patients with AMI and CVS is similar to and possibly slightly higher than that recorded in western studies. Also, this may add a further evidence to the hypothesis that plasma homocysteine is an important independent risk factor for atherosclerotic vascular diseases