title: Homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folate levels in Iranian patients with Multiple Sclerosis: a case control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently, homocysteine (Hcy), folate, and vitamin B12 have been proposed to have several roles on MS pathogenesis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We performed this study to determine the role of serum levels of Hcy, vitamin B12, and folate in patients with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) and compared them with healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 75 RRMS patients and 75 subjects as controls with the same age and sex. Homocysteine was measured using fluorimetric high-performance liquid chromatography. Plasma folate and vitamin B12 levels were measured through ion-capture method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean plasma levels of vitamin B12, folate, and Hcy in cases were 342.64 ± 210.66 pg/ml, 9.74 ± 4.77 ng/ml, and 22.73 ± 11.63 μM/L, respectively, which showed significant difference in comparison with the controls. In addition, there were significant correlations between mean serum Hcy levels and duration of disease (r=0.2, p=0.05) and treatment with interferon (r=0.21, p=0.01). In cases, Hcy level was higher among those on β interferon (24.56 ± 11.87 vs. 19.71 ± 10.75, p=0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded that serum levels of vitamin B12 and folate decreased in RRMS patients, but Hcy levels increased significantly. It seems necessary to conduct prospective trials to determine whether the treatment with supplements and correct biomarker levels in the early stage of the disease can change the course of the disease. We recommend regular checking of the serum level of Hcy in patients who use disease-modifying drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rasool Akram Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moghaddasi
authors.forename: Mansoureh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mamarabadi
authors.forename: Nafiseh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mohebi
authors.forename: Hadie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Razjouyan
authors.forename: Mahbubeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aghaei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D020528:Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006710:Homocysteine; D016899:Interferon-beta; D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12
keywords: Folate; Homocysteine; Multiple Sclerosis; Vitamin B12