LINK BETWEEN PREMATURE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND HYPERHOMOCYSTEINEMIA

Background: Hyperhomocysteinemia, characterized by elevated homocysteine levels, is recognized as a significant risk factor for premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to its role in endothelial dysfunction and atherogenesis. This study aims to measure the homocysteine concentration in CVD patients and determine the link between homocysteine levels and premature CVD. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted on 350 subjects after their consent and randomly selected after approval by the IRB. The sample size was calculated using OpenEpi. In the experimental group, 200 patients with unstable angina, non-ST, and ST-elevation myocardial infarction were included. After 10 hours of fasting, blood samples were taken and homocysteine concentrations were measured with an ELISA kit (Rochester). Wilcoxon test was applied and p?0.05 was considered significant. Results: Most of the subjects fell in older age groups. Family history of CVD was present in 41% of patients, 48% had non-ST and ST-elevation MI, 7% were post-myocardial infarction, and 3% patients had recurrent myocardial infarction. There was an increased concentration of homocysteine in the experimental groups compared to controls (25±0.1 µmol/L vs 5.71±0.2 µmol/L). The differences were more significant in ST elevation than in other conditions and the control group. Conclusion: Homocysteine levels were elevated in CVD with the highest concentration observed in ST-elevation MI. It is important to monitor homocysteine levels in patients with a family history of cardiovascular disease or a history of myocardial infarction. Elevated homocysteine levels may be useful biomarker for assessing cardiovascular risk. Pak J Physiol 2024;20(3):74-6,  DOI: https://doi.org/10.69656/pjp.v20i3.1699