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Plasma homocysteine in the acute and convalescent phases after stroke

Lindgren, Arne LU ; Brattström, Lars ; Norrving, Bo LU ; Hultberg, Björn LU ; Andersson, Anders S LU and Johansson, Barbro LU (1995) In Stroke: a journal of cerebral circulation 26(5). p.795-800
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke patients frequently manifest moderate hyperhomocysteinemia. In most published studies, plasma homocysteine was measured at least 1 month after stroke (or the interval was not reported). To determine whether plasma homocysteine concentrations change in the acute phase, we compared acute-phase values with both convalescent-phase and control values. METHODS: Plasma homocysteine concentrations were measured in the acute phase (mean, 2 days after stroke onset) in 162 first-ever stroke patients aged 50 years or more (median, 75 years) and again at a median interval of 583 days (range, 460 to 645 days) after stroke onset in a subgroup of 17 patients, with values for 60 age-matched subjects serving as controls.... (More)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke patients frequently manifest moderate hyperhomocysteinemia. In most published studies, plasma homocysteine was measured at least 1 month after stroke (or the interval was not reported). To determine whether plasma homocysteine concentrations change in the acute phase, we compared acute-phase values with both convalescent-phase and control values. METHODS: Plasma homocysteine concentrations were measured in the acute phase (mean, 2 days after stroke onset) in 162 first-ever stroke patients aged 50 years or more (median, 75 years) and again at a median interval of 583 days (range, 460 to 645 days) after stroke onset in a subgroup of 17 patients, with values for 60 age-matched subjects serving as controls. Twenty of the control subjects were reexamined 2 to 3 years after their initial examination. RESULTS: The median plasma homocysteine concentration was 13.4 mumol/L in the patient group compared with 13.8 mumol/L for control subjects (NS, Mann-Whitney U test) and increased from 11.4 mumol/L in the acute phase to 14.5 mumol/L in the convalescent phase in the subgroup of patients examined twice (P < .01, Wilcoxon signed rank test). In the 20 reexamined control subjects, no significant change over time in plasma homocysteine concentration was found. CONCLUSIONS: The post-acute-phase increase in plasma homocysteine may explain why higher values were obtained for stroke patients than for control subjects in previous studies. Possible reasons for the variation in plasma homocysteine concentrations over time are (1) an acute-phase reduction secondary to a decrease in plasma albumin and (2) an increase in plasma homocysteine during the convalescent phase due to modified vitamin intake and/or lifestyle. The timing of plasma homocysteine measurements relative to stroke onset is a factor to be considered in the interpretation of results. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
risk factors, cerebral infarction, homocysteine, stroke onset
in
Stroke: a journal of cerebral circulation
volume
26
issue
5
pages
795 - 800
publisher
American Heart Association
external identifiers
  • pmid:7740569
  • scopus:0028907918
ISSN
1524-4628
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
701a8e92-92ed-4ba0-9986-ffa40748a1b9 (old id 1109346)
alternative location
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/26/5/795
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:51:51
date last changed
2021-10-03 05:12:21
@article{701a8e92-92ed-4ba0-9986-ffa40748a1b9,
  abstract     = {{BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke patients frequently manifest moderate hyperhomocysteinemia. In most published studies, plasma homocysteine was measured at least 1 month after stroke (or the interval was not reported). To determine whether plasma homocysteine concentrations change in the acute phase, we compared acute-phase values with both convalescent-phase and control values. METHODS: Plasma homocysteine concentrations were measured in the acute phase (mean, 2 days after stroke onset) in 162 first-ever stroke patients aged 50 years or more (median, 75 years) and again at a median interval of 583 days (range, 460 to 645 days) after stroke onset in a subgroup of 17 patients, with values for 60 age-matched subjects serving as controls. Twenty of the control subjects were reexamined 2 to 3 years after their initial examination. RESULTS: The median plasma homocysteine concentration was 13.4 mumol/L in the patient group compared with 13.8 mumol/L for control subjects (NS, Mann-Whitney U test) and increased from 11.4 mumol/L in the acute phase to 14.5 mumol/L in the convalescent phase in the subgroup of patients examined twice (P &lt; .01, Wilcoxon signed rank test). In the 20 reexamined control subjects, no significant change over time in plasma homocysteine concentration was found. CONCLUSIONS: The post-acute-phase increase in plasma homocysteine may explain why higher values were obtained for stroke patients than for control subjects in previous studies. Possible reasons for the variation in plasma homocysteine concentrations over time are (1) an acute-phase reduction secondary to a decrease in plasma albumin and (2) an increase in plasma homocysteine during the convalescent phase due to modified vitamin intake and/or lifestyle. The timing of plasma homocysteine measurements relative to stroke onset is a factor to be considered in the interpretation of results.}},
  author       = {{Lindgren, Arne and Brattström, Lars and Norrving, Bo and Hultberg, Björn and Andersson, Anders S and Johansson, Barbro}},
  issn         = {{1524-4628}},
  keywords     = {{risk factors; cerebral infarction; homocysteine; stroke onset}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{795--800}},
  publisher    = {{American Heart Association}},
  series       = {{Stroke: a journal of cerebral circulation}},
  title        = {{Plasma homocysteine in the acute and convalescent phases after stroke}},
  url          = {{http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/26/5/795}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{1995}},
}