Importance of hyperhomocysteinemia as a risk factor for venous thromboembolism in a Taiwanese population. A case-control study

Tsu Shiu Hsu*, Lung An Hsu, Chi Jen Chang, Chien Feng Sun, Yu Lin Ko, Chi Tai Kuo, Cheng Wen Chiang, Ying Shiung Lee

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To determine the current status of hyperhomocysteinemia, which is a known risk for venous thrombosis (DVT), in Taiwan. Subjects: 101 unselected patients with a minimum of one episode of deep leg DVT, either initial inpatients or current compliant outpatients in a teaching hospital. Methods: Various thrombophilic risks, gene polymorphism and clinical predisposition were evaluated. Results and conclusions: Patients presented higher fast total plasma homocysteine (hcy) levels than age- and sex-matched controls did (14.1 vs. 9.94 μM). Based on the 95th percentile of control values, hyperhomocysteinemia had a four- to nine-fold risk for DVT, irrespective of clinical predisposition, as well as other thrombophilic risks surveyed. Polymorphism of a metabolizing enzyme, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), was not associated with DVT, although homozygous thermolabile mutation tended to have higher plasma hcy levels. Factor V Leiden was absent in analysis of 80 patients. In complete evaluation (hcy, antithrombin (AT), protein S (PS), protein C (PC), lupus anticoagulant (LA), anticardiolipin antibody) of a subset of 83 patients hyperhomocysteinemia was the most prevalent risk (33.7%), with PC or PS deficiencies following (22.9%). Thus, hyperhomocysteinemia is a prominent risk for DVT in Taiwan.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)387-395
Number of pages9
JournalThrombosis Research
Volume102
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 01 06 2001
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Hyperhomocysteinemia
  • Venous thromboembolism

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