A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY TO KNOW THE RELATION OF SMOKING WITH SERUM HOMOCYSTEINE LEVEL AMONG HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS

It is known that smoking result in high serum homocysteine levels. Both are linked with high risk of cardiovascular disease. Objective: To know the relationship between smoking habits and serum homocysteine levels in healthy adults. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Place and Duration: In the Medicine Unit II of Services Hospital, Lahore for Six months duration from September 2018 to February 2019. Methods: After obtaining informed consent, thirty healthy adults from a nearby Jinnah Hospital, Lahore community were included. Smoking was recorded as a traditional risk factor. Blood samples were collected for the fasting homocysteine levels of the subjects the day after the interview. A standard laboratory protocol was followed for the transport of blood samples and laboratory analysis. The data were included in SPSS 14. To determine the association between smoking and serum homocysteine levels; Chi-square test was used. Results: The study population consisted of 30 healthy 30 individuals. The majority of people (50%) were between 46-55 years of age. The mean age was 51.1 years. There was masculine domination. 57% of the participants smoked and 43% did not smoke. There was a statistically significant association between smoking and serum homocysteine levels (p