|
|
||||
|
Published by : PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL PUBLICATIONS |
||||
|
ISSN 1681-715X |
||||
|
||||
|
- |
||||
|
ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
||||
|
- |
||||
|
Volume 22 |
October - December 2006 |
Number 4 |
||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Published by : PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL PUBLICATIONS |
||||
|
ISSN 1681-715X |
||||
|
||||
|
- |
||||
|
ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
||||
|
- |
||||
|
Volume 22 |
October - December 2006 |
Number 4 |
||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
Association of Plasma Homocysteine and
Ischaemic Stroke in a Nigerian PopulationNura H. Alkali1, Hillary Watt2, Sunday A. Bwala3, Amos Gadzama4
ABSTRACT
Objective: Epidemiologic evidence suggests that raised plasma homocysteine is an independent risk factor for ischaemic stroke. However, other studies found no association between plasma homocysteine and stroke. Our objective was to determine the relationship between plasma homocysteine concentrations and ischaemic stroke in the Nigerian population where there is no existing published data.
Design: Case-control study.
Setting: University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria. Fifty patients with ischaemic stroke and 50 control subjects, aged and sex-matched, were studied in relation to plasma homocysteine and other vascular risk factors.
Main Outcome Measures: Comparison of mean plasma homocysteine between stroke cases and control subjects and Odds Ratios for stroke in patients with hyperhomocysteinemia.
Results: Mean plasma homocysteine was significantly higher in stroke cases than in control subjects (mean ± SD: 20.8±10.2µmol/L vs. 13.1±4.5µmol/L; P<0.001). Other factors associated with ischaemic stroke were obesity, hypertension and elevated serum cholesterol. Using logistic regression analysis, there was an adjusted Odds Ratio of 1.9 (95% CI, 1.16–3.08) for ischaemic stroke for every 5µmol/L increase in plasma homocysteine concentrations.
Conclusions: Raised plasma homocysteine was significantly associated with ischaemic stroke and treating hyperhomocysteinemia may be an effective way of decreasing the incidence of stroke.
KEY WORDS: Stroke, Plasma homocysteine, Nigeria.
Pak J Med Sci October - December 2006 Vol. 22 No. 4 405-408
1. Nura H. Alkali, MSc, FMCP
Department of Medicine,
King Khalid University Hospital,
P.O. Box: 2925,
Riyadh – 11461,
SAUDI ARABIA.2. Hillary Watt, MA, MSc
Medical Statistics Unit,
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
London WC1E 7H T,
United Kingdom.3. Sunday A. Bwala MRCP, FMCP
Department of Medicine,4. Amos Gadzama, FWACP
Department of Chemical Pathology3&4: University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital
P. M. B. 1414 Maiduguri,
Borno State, Nigeria.Correspondence:
Nura H. Alkali
E-Mail: nalkali@yahoo.com* Received for Publication: January 7, 2006
* Accepted: May 15, 2006
HOME | SEARCH | CURRENT ISSUE | PAST ISSUES
Professional
Medical Publications
Room No. 522, 5th Floor, Panorama Centre
Building No. 2, P.O. Box 8766, Saddar, Karachi - Pakistan.
Phones : 5688791, 5689285 Fax : 5689860
pjms@pjms.com.pk
