title: Homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 in Colombian patients with coronary disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the occurrence of association between homocysteine, folate, or vitamin B12 plasma levels and acute coronary syndrome in Colombian patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case control study: cases were 50 patients with acute coronary syndrome and controls were 50 outpatients without coronary syndrome. Homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 levels were determined by means of chemiluminescence immunoassay. Cholesterol and lipoproteins, triglycerides, BUN, creatinine, hemoglobin and hematocrit were also measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean homocysteine plasma concentrations were significantly different between cases (12.4 micromol/l +/- 6.0) and controls (9.7 micromol/l +/- 2.4), p=0.01. The folic acid levels of the cases were lower than those of the control patients (10.5 ng/ml +/- 3.5 vs 12.6 ng/ml +/- 3.6, respectively, p=0.01). An inverse relationship was found between folate and homocysteine levels. No relationship was observed between vitamin B12 levels and homocysteine levels. There was a significant difference in triglyceride levels between case and control groups (136.91 +/- 67.27 vs 174.3 +/- 77.6, respectively, p=0.01). The odds ratio for hyperhomocysteinemia in acute coronary syndrome was 4.45 (95% confidence interval: 1.5 - 13.3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study found a significant association between homocysteine levels and acute coronary syndrome in Colombian patients, similarly to the European and North American populations. There was a negative correlation between homocysteine plasma levels and folate levels. No association between plasmatic levels of homocysteine and those of vitamin B12 was observed.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias de La Salud, Universidad Del Quindio, Colômbia, South America.
authors.forename: Gilberto
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Juanita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trejos
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Restrepo
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Landázuri
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003105:Colombia; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008055:Lipids; D006710:Homocysteine; D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12