Age, sex and vitamin status affect plasma level of homocysteine, but hyperhomocysteinaemia is possibly not an important risk factor for venous thrombophilia in Taiwanese Chinese.
The biological effects of age, sex and vitamin status on plasma total homocysteine (tHcy), and association of hyperhomocysteinaemia with venous thromboembolism in Taiwanese Chinese individuals, were investigated. Eighty patients (16-85 years) with venous thrombophilia and 123 healthy subjects (15-85 years) without history of vascular thrombosis were studied for plasma levels of tHcy, folate and vitamin B12. A multivariate analysis in healthy subjects revealed that plasma tHcy levels tended to increase with age (P < 0.001) and with decreasing plasma levels of folate (P=0.001) or vitamin B12 (P < 0.029); men tended to have higher plasma tHcy levels than women (P=0.006). Thrombotic risk assessment in a case-control study demonstrated that neither plasma level of tHcy [odds ratio (OR), 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.96-1.18; P=0.210] nor hyperhomocysteinaemia (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 0.50-5.49; P=0.415) was significantly associated with venous thrombophilia. The relationship between hyperhomocysteinaemia and recurrence of episode remained insignificant (P=0.560). We conclude that age, sex and vitamin status affect plasma tHcy but hyperhomocysteinaemia is possibly not an important risk factor for venous thrombophilia in Taiwanese Chinese.
Lin
Jen-Shiou
JS
Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shen
Ming-Ching
MC
Cheng
Wern-Cherng
WC
Tsay
Woei
W
Wang
Ying-Chi
YC
Lin
Bin-Bin
BB
Hung
Mei-Hua
MH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D020138:Hyperhomocysteinemia / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013624:Taiwan; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000209:etiology*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood
D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12