title: Homocysteine in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hyperhomocysteinemia seems to be a common phenomenon in both patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Many factors including deficiencies of cobalamin, folate and pyridoxine, smoking habits, alcohol and coffee intake, some medications and age may predispose subjects to hyperhomocysteinemia. The study aimed to evaluate homocysteine levels in an inflammatory bowel disease cohort as dependent of life style and disease activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  85 consecutive patients with inflammatory bowel disease (38 with Crohn's disease and 47 with ulcerative colitis) and 65 control subjects were included in the prospective study. The following parameters were analyzed: disease activity, duration of the disease, location of pathological changes, presence of complications, current medications, past surgical procedures, smoking history, concomitant diseases, biochemical parameters and plasma homocysteine levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mild hyperhomocysteinemia was found in 16 patients with Crohn's disease (42%), 19 patients with ulcerative colitis (40%) and 19 patients in the control group (29%) (p = 0.59). There was not any significant correlation between homocysteine level and disease activity. Only folic acid supplementation and gender affected homocysteine level. Folic acid intake led to reduction of homocysteine levels in all groups of patients (11.8 micromol/l vs. 8.33 miccromol/l, p = 0.0065 in Crohn's disease patients and 10.94 micromol/l vs. 7.78 micromol/l, p = 0.0069 in ulcerative colitis patients).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Homocysteine level in patients with inflammatory bowel disease is mostly normal or slightly elevated. Disease activity does not have an impact on homocysteine level. Folic acid is the most important factor having an influence on homocysteine level in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Owczarek
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cibor
authors.forename: Kinga
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sałapa
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jurczyszyn
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mach
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D020138:Hyperhomocysteinemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D005492:Folic Acid