Assessment of serum homocysteine level and hyperhomocysteinaemia in the northern Persian Gulf

Background: Homocysteine is a non essential amino acid which is derived from metabolism of the essential amino acid, metionin. It has been shown that an elevated serum homocysteine level in adults is associated with vascular diseases. In this study, we determined serum homocysteine level and its gender and age distribution in three cities of Bushehr, Genaveh and Deilam in the northern Persian Gulf. Methods: A total of 1699 inhabitants of the north region of the Persian Gulf were selected based on a multi stage stratified clustered sampling and a fasting blood sample was taken from them. We measured serum homocysteine level using enzyme immuno assay method with accuracy limit of 1 µmol/L. Hyperhomocyteinaemia was defined as homocysteine more than 14 µmol/L. Results: Mean plasma homocysteine level was 14.63±7.08 µmol/L (17.72±6.63 µmol/L for men and 12.73±6.78 µmol/L for women). No correlation between homocysteine and age was found. The prevalence of hyperhomocysteinaemia was 51.2% (22.2% in male and 29% in female). Conclusion: The homocysteine level in the north region of the Persian Gulf general population is high. Further study is essential to reveal the reason of the high homocysteine serum level in the inhabitants of the northern Persian Gulf with emphasis on folic acid and vitamin B12 serum levels