[Plasma homocysteine, a risk factor for premature vascular disease. Plasma levels in healthy persons; during pathologic conditions and drug therapy].

Homocysteine is a branch-point metabolite, the biological fate of which is linked to vitamin B12, reduced folates and vitamin B6. Various inborn defects in homocysteine metabolism, among which cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency is most common, lead to the clinical condition homocystinuria. A central feature of this clinical state is premature arteriosclerosis. These patients benefit from agents serving as cofactors in homocysteine metabolism which both reduce the homocysteine levels in plasma and the incidence of vascular episodes. Experimental data point to homocysteine as an arteriosclerotic agent. Homocysteine in human plasma exists mainly as mixed disulfides with albumin (70 per cent) and cysteine. New methods determine total plasma homocysteine which includes all these species. Normal values for plasma homocysteine are lower in premenopausal women than in men and postmenopausal women. Impaired homocysteine metabolism seems to exist in 15-30 per cent of patients with premature cardiovascular disease. Moderate homocysteinemia is as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, independent of conventional risk factors. Apart from homocystinuria, vitamin B12 deficiency causes the most extreme elevations of plasma homocysteine, and it has been established that plasma homocysteine is a more responsive parameter to impaired vitamin B12 function than serum cobalamin. Massive increase in plasma homocysteine level is also observed in folate deficiency, whereas renal failure, some malignant states and psoriasis cause a moderate homocysteinemia. High doses of folic acid reduce plasma homocysteine, and this innocuous mean should be considered as an intervention in patients with increased plasma level. Drugs like methotrexate, some anticonvulsants and 6-azauridine triacetate induce moderate elevation of plasma homocysteine, whereas a reduction is observed after penicillamine administration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)