J Clin Pathol Qual Control.  1999 Jun;21(1):167-173.

Age and Gender Specific Reference Value of Total Plasma Homocysteine

• Lee KO
• Ryoo KS
• Lee KP

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The diagnostic value of total Homocysteine (Hcy) determination is well documented in several clinical conditions, such as diagnosing individuals with potentially increased risk factors for coronary artery disease, a functional assay for folic acid deficiency and homocystinuria. In this study, we developed detection method of plasma total homocysteine and established a reference range of plasma Hcy in Koreans.
METHODS
In this study, the reference values for total Hcy in plasma were determined in normal healthy 77 men and 46 women using high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection(HPLC/FLD) technique.
RESULTS
The recovery and detection limit were 98.6+/-5.8% and 0.2 nmol/mL. In all 123 subjects, the total plasma Hcy was 10.86+/-2.02 nmol/mL (Mean+/-SD). The age and gender specific central 0.95 intervals obtained from man and woman subjects were as follows; 8.39-15.27 nmol/mL and 6.3-11.3 nmol/mL in ages 20-29 years; 8.29-15.69 nmol/mL and 7.44-11.2 nmol/mL in ages 30-39 years; and 7.88-18.92 nmol/mL and 6.99-12.79 nmol/mL in ages 40-59 years, respectively. Levels of total Hcy concentration was higher in men than women and increased with age on male subjects.
CONCLUSIONS
HPLC/FLD method developed by present study is simple, accurate and cost effective for detection of plasma total Hcy in clinical laboratories. The age and gender specific reference values of Hcy in Koreans might be useful for detecting folic acid deficiency and abnormal folate metabolism and predicting potentially increased risk factor for coronary artery disease in Koreans.

MeSH Terms

Coronary Artery Disease
Female
Folic Acid
Folic Acid Deficiency
Homocysteine*
Homocystinuria
Humans
Limit of Detection
Male
Metabolism
Plasma*
Reference Values*
Risk Factors
Folic Acid
Homocysteine