ABSTRACT
Hyperhomocysteinemia is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The link between homocysteine and atherosclerosis was first recognized in 1969 by McCully,1 who found similar atherothrombotic sequelae in patients with hyperhomocysteinemia arising from different genetic defects. Subsequently, Wilcken and Wilcken2 reported that homocysteine levels were higher in patients with coronary artery disease than in normal subjects. Several population-based studies have provided evidence that modest elevations of plasma homocysteine correlate with increased cardiovascular disease risk in a graded manner. Furthermore, the magnitude of risk was found to be similar to that of other conventional risk factors, such as dyslipidemia or smoking.3
