PLASMA TOTAL HOMOCYSTEINE LEVELS IN HYPERTHYROID AND HYPOTHYROID PATIENTS

We found a higher plasma concentration of total homocysteine (tHcy), a n independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, in patients with hypothyroidism (mean, 16.3 mu mol/L; 95% confidence interval [Cl], 14 .7 to 17.9 mu mol/L) than in healthy controls (mean, 10.5 mu mol/L: 95 % CI, 10.1 to 10.9 mu mol/L). The tHcy level of hyperthyroid patients did not differ significantly from that of the controls. Serum creatini ne was higher in hypothyroid patients and lower in hyperthyroid patien ts than in controls, whereas serum folate was higher in hyperthyroid p atients compared with the two other groups. In multivariate analysis, these differences did not explain the higher tHcy concentration in hyp othyroidism. We confirmed the observation of elevated serum cholestero l in hypothyroidism, which together with the hyperhomocysteinemia may contribute to an accelerated atherogenesis in these patients. Copyrigh t (C) 1998 by W.B. Saunders Company.