DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i03.017

Pages: 898-900

Coronary Artery Disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the modern society. The major classic cardiovascular risk factors and such non-modifiable risk factors such as age, sex, and family history cannot fully explain why some people develop CAD, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases while other persons do not. Other factors may also increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and contribute to thermogenesis. Hyperhomocystinemia is one such recognized risk factor. This particular study was done to assess the homocysteine levels in acute coronary syndrome patient’s vis-à-vis chronic stable angina patients with the aim of finding an independent association between homocysteine levels and coronary artery disease in these patients. The study was planned such that patients with a clinical diagnosis of CAD( based on symptoms and/ or stress test, ECG, and routine lab investigations) - acute coronary syndrome or chronic stable angina underwent test for plasma homocysteine and then results were compared among the 3 groups( chronic stable angina, unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction), the conclusion was a higher mean level of plasma homocysteine in patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction compared to unstable angina or chronic stable angina thereby establishing a role of homocysteine levels as an important predictor of disease severity in CAD patients.