[Homocysteine as the factor of atherosclerosis risk].

A great number of epidemiologic and experimental results of scientific research led to the conclusion, that hyperhomocysteinemia could be possible risk factor for the cardiovascular diseases development in patients suffering from the homocysteinuria and in all the population, because of homocysteine's ability to the activation of the thrombogenesis processes and to the creation of the atherosclerotic changes. Furthermore, the elevated homocysteine concentration exacerbates the effects of the other atherosclerogenous factors, such as tobacco smoking or arterial hypertension. The increased mortality caused by the cardiovascular diseases was observed in patients with the homocysteine concentration elevated above 15 micromol/l on an empty stomach and 38 micromol/l after the methionine intake (the mortality was twice higher). The concentration aimed 10 to 15 micromol/l is assumed to be the normal high concentration. There were no screening researches led on the population for the showing the number of people with the increased homocysteine concentration, however such kind of investigation could be recommended in patients with diabetes, kidney diseases, family history with reported cardiovascular diseases, heart and other organs transplantation, and in patients with the constant intake medicaments increasing the homocysteine concentration. We have no results of prospective research conducted on the numerous patient group, which could document the profits resulted by the treatment of the hyperhomocysteinemia in the primary and secondary prophylactic of the cardiovascular disease.