Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of plasma total homocysteine level and 677C-->T mutation on the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene in the development of venous thromboembolism.
Methods: Thirty-six (18 male, 18 female and mean+SD; 48.3 +/- 15.5 years) patients with venous thromboembolism and 25 healthy adults (13 male, 12 female and mean +/- SD; 46.8 +/- 9.2 years) were included in the study. Fasting plasma total homocysteine level was determined by a high performance liquid chromatography. 677C-->T mutation on the MTHFR gene in peripheral blood was detected by Real Time-PCR method.
Results: The level of plasma total homocysteine (18.5 +/- 10.6 micromol/L) was significantly higher in patients with venous thromboembolism than in the control group (11.0 +/- 4.7 micromol/L) (p=0.015). 677C-->T mutation on the MTHFR gene heterozygosity was higher in the patient group than in the control group [13 (36.1%) and 2 (8%) respectively] but this difference was not significant (p=0.07).
Conclusion: It is thought that a high plasma total homocysteine may cause venous thromboembolism (Tab. 2, Ref. 21). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.