The Relationship Between Carotid Intima-media Thickness and Homosystein in Ischemic Stroke

Objective: The vast majority of ischemic strokes occur due to atherosclerosis. Although the precise mechanism is unknown, high homocysteine (HM) levels are considered to play a role in the development of atherosclerosis. In this study, the relationship between high HM and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), as an early predictor of atherosclerosis, is evaluated in patients with ischemic stroke.Met-hods: Eighty-one patients diagnosed with acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease and control group of 41 healthy volunteers were evaluated prospectively. The patients underwent cranial imaging, and neurological examinations were performed. The demographic characteristics of the groups were recorded. In addition, risk factors for ischemic stroke, such as hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiac disease were evaluated. CIMT was measured using Doppler ultrasound, and HM vitamin B12, and folate levels were recorded.Re-sults: There was no significant difference between the groups for the presence of DM. In patients group, HT was statistically more frequent than in control group (p <0.001). In both groups, there was no relationship between HM levels and lipid profile. Similarly, there was no relationship between lipid profile and CIMT. HM was negatively correlated with folate and vitamin B12. CIMK was statistically higher in patients than in controls (p<0.001). Vitamin B12 deficiency was statistically higher in patients group (p<0.05). Conc-lu-si-on: In our study, we did not find statistically significant relationship between CIMT and HM levels in ischemic stroke patients. However, according to previous literature, high HM levels are known to cause atherosclerotic vascular disease. Therefore, vitamin B12 replacement in people with high HM levels can contribute to the prevention of ischemic stroke. (Arc-hi-ves of Neu-ropsy-chi-atry 2012; 49: 53-8)