Relationship between serum homocysteine levels and carotid atherosclerosis in young adults with cerebral infarction

Objective:To probe into the relationship between serum homocysteine(Hcy) levels and carotid atherosclerosis in young patients with cerebral infarction.Methods:Forty-four young patients with cerebral infarction were classified into carotid atherosclerosis group and non-carotid atherosclerosis group,and 40 cases with no cerebrovascular dieases acted as controls.The serum Hcy levels were measured by microparticle enzyme immunoassay.Results:The mean serum Hcy level in the patients with cerebral infarction was significantly higher than that in controls(P0.01),while the mean serum Hcy level in the cerebral infarction group with carotid atherosclerosis was higher than that in non-carotid atherosclerosis group(P0.05) and the control group(P0.01).Conclusions:Serum Hcy levels are closely related with carotid atherosclerosis and is an important risk factor for cerebral infarction in young adults.