title: Serum homocysteine concentration is related to diabetes mellitus, but not to coronary heart disease, in Saudi Arabians.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plasma homocysteine (HCYS) concentration is believed to be an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  HCYS was measured in a cohort of 584 Saudi Arabians participating in a national screening study of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. A total of 173 subjects (114 men and 59 women) had clinical CHD, of whom 82 (47.4%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus (56 men and 26 women). A further 127 subjects (60 men and 67 women) also had type 2 diabetes mellitus but no CHD. A total of 284 individuals (120 men and 164 women) were recruited as healthy controls, and had no previous history of CHD or diabetes. Serum HCYS was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Univariate analysis showed HCYS concentrations were significantly lower in those with diabetes mellitus (DM) than in controls, for both men [8.7 (4.2-18.6) vs. 10.5 (4.5-20.5) mmol/l, median (5th-95th percentiles, p = 0.009] and women [6.3 (3.3-24.0) vs. 8.1 (4.0-17.9) mmol/l, p = 0.049]. Stepwise multivariate regression analysis indicated a relationship between HCYS concentration and age, sex and the presence of DM, but not with CHD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the Saudi Arabian population, serum HCYS is not a risk factor for CHD, but is lower in patients with DM.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Nozah
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Al-Daghri
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Al-Attas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Maatouq
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014280:Triglycerides; D006710:Homocysteine; D002784:Cholesterol