Plasma Homocysteine, Vitamin B12 and Folate Levels in Multiple System Atrophy: A Case-Control Study.
BACKGROUND
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disease, and its pathological hallmark is the accumulation of α-synuclein proteins. Homocysteine (Hcy) is an intermediate amino acid generated during the metabolism of methionine. Hcy may contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Vitamin B12 and folate are cofactors necessary for the methylation of homocysteine.


METHODS
This study compared the levels of serum Hcy, vitamin B12 and folate in patients with MSA with those in healthy people to reveal the possible association between MSA and plasma levels of Hcy, vitamin B12 and folate. We enrolled 161 patients with MSA and 161 healthy people in this study. The association between MSA and the levels of Hcy, vitamin B12 and folate were analyzed using binary logistic regression.


RESULTS
The mean level of Hcy in patients with MSA was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (16.23 ± 8.09 umol/l vs 14.04 ± 4.25 umol/l, p < 0.05). After adjusting for age, sex and medical history, the odds ratio for Hcy was 1.07 (95% CI = 1.01-1.13, p < 0.05) for patients with MSA. Vitamin B12 and folate levels were not significantly different between patients with MSA and controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that higher levels of Hcy may be associated with an increased risk for MSA.
Department of Neurology, The first affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Shuyu
S
Zhang
Department of Neurology, The first affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Changhe
C
Shi
Department of Neurology, The first affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Chengyuan
C
Mao
Department of Neurology, The first affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Bo
B
Song
Department of Neurology, The first affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Haiman
H
Hou
Department of Neurology, The first affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Jun
J
Wu
Department of Neurology, The first affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Xinjing
X
Liu
Department of Neurology, The first affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Haiyang
H
Luo
Department of Neurology, The first affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Shilei
S
Sun
Department of Neurology, The first affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Yuming
Y
Xu
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019578:Multiple System Atrophy / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood*
D006710:Homocysteine; D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12