Correlation between blood homocysteine level and the plaque morphology of carotid atherosclerosis

Abstract

Objective To investigate the correlation between blood homocysteine (Hcy) level and the plaque morphology of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD). Methods Ninety-six patients with ICVD were selected as the observation group, and another 48 healthy persons during the same period were selected as the control group. The plasma Hcy levels of two groups were determined and compared. The carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) of two groups were determined and compared according to the color Doppler ultrasound examination of carotid artery. The plasma Hcy levels were compared among patients with soft plaque, hard plaque, no plaque, CIMT thickening, normal CIMT in the observation group. The relationship between plasma Hcy level and CIMT in ICVD patients was analyzed. Results The plasma Hcy level and CIMT in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). In the observation group, the plasma Hcy level in patients with soft plaque was higher than that in patients with hard plaque and that in non plaque patients; and the patients with hard plaque had higher Hcy level than no plaque patients (P<0.05). The level of plasma Hcy in the patients with thickened CIMT in the observation group was higher than that in patients with normal CIMT (P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that the plasma Hcy level in ICVD patients was positively correlated with CIMT (r=0.372, P=0.000). Conclusions The plasma Hcy level is closely related to the plaque morphology and the intensity of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with ICVD. The patients with high blood Hcy level are more prone to suffer soft plaque, with more severe carotid atherosclerosis. Key words: Ischemic cerebrovascular disease; Homocysteine; Carotid intima-media thickness; Carotid atherosclerosis; Plaque morphology