Elevated Serum Homocysteine in Patients with Coronary Vasospasm

Background: Homocysteine is a metabolite of methionine with atherogenic properties via endothelial dysfunction.Endothelial dysfunction is one of main pathophysiologic mechanisms of coronary vasospasm. We examinedthe relationship between the risk of patients with coronary vasospasm and serum total homocysteine (tHcy),folate, vitamin B12, and plasma vitamin B6. Methods: Fasting serum tHcy, folate, vitamin B12, and plasma vitaminB6 concentrations were measured in 25 patients (15 men, age 52.8±10.1) with coronary vasospasm andcompared with 22 healthy control subjects matching in age and sex (10 men, age 52.7±9.2). Serum tHcy concentrationwas higher in the vasospasm group than in the control group (14.8±5.3 vs 10.1±2.5 μmol/L, p