Plasma Total Homocysteine Levels in Stroke Patients Screened for the Vitamin Intervention for Stroke Prevention Clinical Trial in the Era of Folate Fortification

Vol. 26, No. 1, 2006

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Original Paper

Plasma Total Homocysteine Levels in Stroke Patients Screened for the Vitamin Intervention for Stroke Prevention Clinical Trial in the Era of Folate Fortification
Helmi L. Lutsep^a, Stephen Campbell^b, Lloyd E. Chambless^b, Virginia J. Howard^c, James F. Toole^d

^aOregon Stroke Center, OHSU, Portland, Oreg.,
^bUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C.,
^cUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham,Ala., and
^dWake Forest University, Winston Salem, N.C., USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Neuroepidemiology 2006;26:45-51 (DOI: 10.1159/000089238)

Key Words

Folic acid
Homocysteine
Stroke

Abstract

Folic acid fortification of grain products was mandated in the USA by January 1998 and in Canada by November 1998. It was hypothesized thatscreeningtotal plasma homocysteine levels adjusted for age, sex, race and country that were drawn in stroke patients for the Vitamin Intervention for Stroke Prevention trial from 1997 to 2001 would be steady when fortification was completed. Samples were grouped by years 1997/1998, 1999 and 2000/2001, and adjusted means were calculated using a general linear regression model. In 2,612 US and 1,059 Canadian patients, levels showed no consistent trend in the USA alone, while Canadian levels declined (p = 0.06 overall, 0.0003 in the oldest age group). US levels were 0.39 µmol/l (95% CI: -0.08, 0.85) lower than in Canada. Neither fasting nor time since stroke affected the results.

Author Contacts

Helmi L. Lutsep, MD
Oregon Stroke Center, Oregon Health and Science University
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, CR 131
Portland, OR 97239 (USA)
Tel. +1 503 494 7225, Fax +1 503 494 4690, E-Mail lutseph@ohsu.edu

Article Information

Published online: October 25, 2005
Number of Print Pages : 7
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 28

Medline Abstract (ID 16254453)

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