Hyperhomocysteinemia in West Virginians with documented atherosclerotic disease.
Plasma homocysteine levels in a population of 282 West Virginians with atherosclerotic disease were significantly lower than in previous population studies of atherosclerotic subjects. Elevated homocysteine levels correlated positively with age and with serum creatinine levels. There was a trend toward higher homocysteine levels in men, but this did not reach statistical significance. Elderly men and individuals with elevated serum creatinine were the most likely populations to have elevated homocysteine levels. In 54 patients treated with 1 mg folic acid, plasma homocysteine levels fell by 21% with similar responses in both men and women. Elevated creatinine levels decreased the efficacy of folic acid treatment in reducing plasma homocysteine levels. All three patients with a homocysteine level in excess of 100 mmoles/L were found to have B12 deficiency.