Analysis of plasma homocysteine levels in patients with unstable angina

Abstract

Objective - To determine the prevalence of hyperhomocystinemia in patients with acute ischemic syndrome of the unstable angina type. Methods - We prospectively studied 46 patients (24 females) with unstable angina and 46 control patients (19 males), paired by sex and age, blinded to the laboratory data. Details of diets, smoking habits, medication used, body mass index, and the presence of hypertension and diabetes were recorded, as were plasma lipid and glucose levels, C-reactive protein, and lipoperoxidation in all participants. Patients with renal disease were excluded. Plasma homocysteine was estimated using high-pressure liquid chromatography. Results - Plasma homocysteine levels were significantly higher in the group of patients with unstable angina (12.7±6.7 μmol/L) than in the control group (8.7±4.4 μmol/L) (p<0.05). Among males, homocystinemia was higher in the group with unstable angina than in the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant (14.1±5.9 μmol/L versus 11.9±4.2 μmol/L). Among females, however, a statistically significant difference was observed between the 2 groups: 11.0±7.4 μmol/L versus 6.4±2.9 μmol/L (p<0.05) in the unstable angina and control groups, respectively. Approximately 24% of the patients had unstable angina at homocysteine levels above 15 μmol/L. Conclusion - High homocysteine levels seem to be a relevant prevalent factor in the population with unstable angina, particularly among females.