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| |  American Heart Association Recommends Homocysteine Testing In High-Risk Patients FAIRFIELD, CT -- Jan. 5, 1999 -- In the current issue of the journal Circulation, an American Heart Association science advisory urges doctors to begin screening high-risk patients with a personal or family history of heart disease for elevated homocysteine levels. The advisory comes in the wake of a number of recent studies, including a 14-year study at the Harvard School of Public Health involving 80,000 women, which concluded that high homocysteine levels play a central role in cardiovascular disease. An estimated 20 million Americans, more than one of every three people with heart disease, experience high levels of homocysteine. This means that screening for the problem could significantly reduce the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes among certain high-risk patients. "It will probably soon be as common to have one's homocysteine level checked as it is now to have one's cholesterol level checked," said Dr. Malinow of the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, a joint author of the science advisory. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing one American every 33 seconds, a cost to the American economy of $150 billion a year. A test for high homocysteine blood levels may help reduce that number because elevated levels of homocysteine can be reduced with a relatively simple change in diet. Because high levels of homocysteine directly correlate to low levels of folic acid and vitamins B12 and B6, in addition to screening, the science advisory also urges all Americans to increase their intake of foods containing folic acid and vitamins B12 and B6 such as leafy green vegetables, fruits and legumes. At normal levels, homocysteine is an amino acid used by the body to help build and maintain body tissue. Too much homocysteine, however, causes blood platelets to clump together and damage the lining of arteries. That, in turn, can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Because of the increasing importance associated with identifying homocysteine levels, the number of homocysteine tests performed could top 100 million per year. In addition to cardiovascular disease, high levels of homocysteine have also been linked to Alzheimer's disease, chronic fatigue syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.
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