Relationship of homocysteine level with abdominal aortic aneurysm and coronary artery disease

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship of homocysteine levels with major atherosclerotic diseases in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and in patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs).

Patients and methods: This prospective, case-control study included a total of 55 patients (35 males, 20 females; median age 64 years; range, 42 to 83 years) undergoing CABG and patients with infrarenal AAAs between January 2015 and June 2015. The infrarenal AAA group (n=15) consisted of the patients having an anteroposterior diameter of ≥50 mm and the CABG group (n=20) consisted of the patients who underwent CABG during the study period. The patients without any known AAA were assigned to the control group (n=20). Homocysteine, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), and triglyceride levels were analyzed in all groups.

Results: Homocysteine levels were significantly higher in the AAA group than both in the CABG group (p=0.039) and in the control group (p=0.011). No significant differences in the homocysteine levels (p=0.072) were found both between the patients with low and high LDL-c levels (p=0.345) and between the patients with low and high triglyceride levels.

Conclusion: Our study results suggest that homocysteine level is directly associated with AAAs and may be useful to identify patients with an AAA.