Comparison of Total Plasma Homocysteine Levels in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and Healthy Controls

Homocysteine is an amino acid with a free thiol (sulphydryl) group. Elevated plasma homocysteine concentration is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Because of the high incidence of cardiovascular disease in our country, the study and investigation of cardiovascular disease risk factors are very important. The purpose of this study was to compare total plasma homocysteine levels in patients with CAD and a group of healthy controls. This study was a case-control study. The population under study included 50 patients with coronary artery disease and 50 healthy subjects. The coronary artery disease diagnosed was based on the results of angiography. Total plasma homocysteine concentration was measured by HPLC. The mean of total plasma homocysteine values in patients with coronary heart disease (20.59 µmol/l) was significantly higher than the control group (12.78 µmol/l) (p=0.001). According to the results of this study, the total plasma homocysteine is a risk factor for CAD. Since the mean of total plasma homocysteine values in our patients and control group were relatively high in comparison with most other populations, it might be the main cause of the high rate of cardiovascular disease in some areas of Iran.