Age, sex and vitamin status affect plasma level of homocysteine, but hyperhomocysteinaemia is possibly not an important risk factor for venous thrombophilia in Taiwanese Chinese

• Published in: British journal of haematology Vol. 117; no. 1; pp. 159 - 163
• Main Authors: Lin, Jen‐Shiou, Shen, Ming‐Ching, Cheng, Wern‐Cherng, Tsay, Woei, Wang, Ying‐Chi, Lin, Bin‐Bin, Hung, Mei‐Hua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science, Ltd 01.04.2002; Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Case-Control Studies; China - ethnology; Diseases of the peripheral vessels. Diseases of the vena cava. Miscellaneous; Female; folate; Folic Acid - blood; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Hematology; homocysteine; Humans; Hyperhomocysteinemia - complications; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nutritional Status; Odds Ratio; Platelet diseases and coagulopathies; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Taiwan; Taiwanese Chinese; Thrombophilia - etiology; venous thrombophilia; Vitamin B 12 - blood; vitamin B12; Asia; China; Taiwan; Human; Hypercoagulability; Thiol; Sex; Cardiovascular disease; Hemopathy; Cyanocobalamin; Folate; Vascular disease; Sulfur containing aminoacid; Thrombophilia; Homocystein; Risk factor; Thromboembolism; Coagulopathy; Age
• ISSN: 0007-1048; 1365-2141
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2141.2002.03384.x

The biological effects of age, sex and vitamin status on plasma total homocysteine (tHcy), and association of hyperhomocysteinaemia with venous thromboembolism in Taiwanese Chinese individuals, were investigated. Eighty patients (16–85 years) with venous thrombophilia and 123 healthy subjects (15–85 years) without history of vascular thrombosis were studied for plasma levels of tHcy, folate and vitamin B12. A multivariate analysis in healthy subjects revealed that plasma tHcy levels tended to increase with age (P < 0·001) and with decreasing plasma levels of folate (P=0·001) or vitamin B12 (P < 0·029); men tended to have higher plasma tHcy levels than women (P=0·006). Thrombotic risk assessment in a case–control study demonstrated that neither plasma level of tHcy [odds ratio (OR), 1·07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0·96–1·18; P=0·210] nor hyperhomocysteinaemia (OR, 1·65; 95% CI, 0·50–5·49; P=0·415) was significantly associated with venous thrombophilia. The relationship between hyperhomocysteinaemia and recurrence of episode remained insignificant (P=0·560). We conclude that age, sex and vitamin status affect plasma tHcy but hyperhomocysteinaemia is possibly not an important risk factor for venous thrombophilia in Taiwanese Chinese.