Association between hyperhomocysteinaemia and ischaemic heart disease in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the relation between hyperhomocysteinaemia and ischaemic heart disease in a cohort of Sri Lankan patients with ischaemic heart disease.

Serum homocysteine, cysteine and cysteinylglyceine were measured in 54 patients with a definite diagnosis of ischaemic heart disease and compared with those of an age and sex matched control group.

Patients with coronary ischaemia had significantly higher mean concentrations of homocysteine and its metabolite cysteine (p <0.01). Of the 54 patients with ischaemic heart disease, 14 (35%) had fasting homocysteine concentrations above the 90th percentile of the controls (odds ratio 3.2, 95% CL l.0- 11.3).

Hyperhomocysteinaemia is associated with a three-fold increase in coronary risk