title: Total plasma homocysteine values among elderly subjects: findings from the Maracaibo Aging Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study generated baseline data for total homocysteine (tHcy) in elderly Caribbeans of Hispanic ancestry, residing in Venezuela, their country of origin.
  
  
  METHODS
  2106 participants in the Maracaibo Aging Study (MAS), older than 55 years, underwent standardized clinical and laboratory assessments, including measurement of plasma tHcy levels, folate, and vitamin B12 in fasting samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  tHcy concentration in the healthy, normative group ranged from 4.1 to 31.8 micromol/L, with a median of 11.5+/-4.7 micromol/L. tHcy level increased with age, was significantly higher in men than in women, and exhibited inverse correlations with folate and vitamin B12.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  tHcy levels of the MAS participants were generally higher than levels previously reported for community-dwelling elderly populations from other countries. The normative centile curves for tHcy can be used in disease risk analysis for this population, and possibly for other Hispanic populations residing in the Caribbean.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurosciences, Institute for Biological Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zulia, Apdo. Postal 10.636, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Aldrin E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Molero
authors.forename: Carmen C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Altimari
authors.forename: Dariana A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Duran
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pino-Ramirez
authors.forename: Gladys E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Maestre
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D014687:Venezuela
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine