Relationship between changes of homocysteine levels and the prognosis in elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction

Abstract

Objective To investigate the relationship between changes of homocysteine (Hcy) levels and the prognosis in elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction. Methods A total of 206 patients with acute cerebral infarction admitted to the Third People’s Hospital of Jinzhong from July 2016 to July 2018 were included in the study group, and 68 healthy volunteers were included in the control group. The degree of neurological deficit was evaluated. The levels of fasting plasma Hcy and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were compared between healthy volunteers and patients with different degrees of neurological deficits, and the relationship between changes of the two indicators and the prognosis was analyzed. Results There were no significant differences in age, gender, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, smoking history, hyperlipidemia or drinking history between the study group and control group(P>0.05), but the average levels of Hcy and hs-CRP in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P 0.05). During 1 month of follow-up, the Hcy levels in patients with different outcomes of acute cerebral infarction found that the proportion of patients without outcomes was the largest, followed by disabled and dead patients. The level of Hcy was significantly lower in patients without outcomes than in disabled and dead patients, and the level of Hcy was lower in disabled patients than that in dead patients (P<0.05). Conclusions The levels of plasma Hcy and hs-CRP in patients with acute cerebral infarction are significantly higher than those in healthy subjects, and the level of Hcy is correlated with the degree of neurological deficit. It can be used as a clinical indicator for the diagnosis and prediction of the prognosis of acute cerebral infarction in the elderly. Key words: Elderly; Acute cerebral infarction; Homocysteine; Prognosis