title: Maternal and cord blood homocysteine and folic acid levels in smoking and nonsmoking pregnant women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The homocysteine level in blood is affected by gender, diet, smoking, folic acid and B-complex vitamins. It is known that higher than normal homocysteine levels in plasma may cause vascular endothelium dysfunction, resulting in the promotion of thrombus formation. In our study, we aimed to assess the effects of smoking during pregnancy on the homocysteine and folic acid levels of the mother and baby.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 58 pregnant women who had completed their 37th week of gestation: 30 women were nonsmokers (NONSM) and 28 were smokers (SM). The measurement of homocysteine and folic acid levels in all samples were performed with an Immulite 2000 analyzer, using the chemiluminescence method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Maternal blood folic acid levels were significantly lower in SM (p = 0.041) than in NONSM. In SM, homocysteine levels in the umbilical cord blood were found to be significantly higher than those in NONSM (p = 0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High homocysteine levels in umbilical cord blood of smoking mothers, and the probable continuation of passive smoking for the babies after birth, make us think that the baby may have a predisposition towards vascular diseases at later periods in life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Ministry of Health, Tepecik Research and Education Hospital, Izmir, Turkey. cokeri @ hotmail.com
authors.forename: Isil
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Coker
authors.forename: Ayfer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colak
authors.forename: Aybike
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gunaslan Hasturk
authors.forename: Omur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Turkon
authors.forename: Oya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Halicioglu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D005492:Folic Acid