Plasma total homocysteine levels in patients with tType 1 diabetes: effect of chronic cigarette smoking

ABSTRACT

Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare plasma total homocysteine [tHcy] levels, a recognized cardiovascular risk factor, in non-diabetic subjects and type 1 diabetic patients, and to evaluate whether chronic cigarette smoking had a deleterious effect on plasma tHcy levels in these patients. Subjects and To achieve this aim, plasma tHcy concentrations were measured in 50 young type 1 diabetic patients without clinical evidence of macroangiopathy and in 50 healthy control subjects who were matched for age, sex, BMI and smoking habit. It was found that plasma tHcy levels were significantly higher in type 1 diabetic patients than in control subjects [12.5 +/- 4.9 vs 10.3 +/- 2.3micro mol/l, P<0.01]. Comparing the clinical and biochemical characteristics of diabetic subjects grouped according to smoking status, diabetic smokers had higher levels of plasma triglycerides, but no significant differences were found in age, sex, BMI, total cholesterol, creatinine, glycometabolic control, blood pressure, duration of diabetes, and the presence of chronic microvascular complications. Nevertheless, plasma tHcy levels were markedly elevated in diabetic smokers [by -50%] versus nonsmokers, [15.5 +/- 5.6 vs 10.6 +/- 2.9 micro mol/l, P<0.0001] in a dose-dependent fashion, when subjects were categorized for the number of cigarettes smoked daily. Conclusions: We concluded that chronic cigarette smoking seems to adversely affect plasma tHcy levels in young adults with type 1 diabetes