HOMOCYSTEINE AND VITAMIN B12 LEVELS AS PREDICTORS OF METABOLIC SYNDROME
Abstract
Homocysteine plays a pathogenetic role in the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome, although these connections are fragmentary. Objective: to determine the levels of homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folic acid in the setting of metabolic syndrome and to assess their predictive value. Materials and methods. 45 people without cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus were examined in compliance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. They were divided into 2 groups depending on the presence of metabolic syndrome: without metabolic syndrome (5 men, 7 women; mean age 40.08±2.78 years) and with it (21 men, 12 women; p>0.05; age 50.69±2.56 years; p<0.05). All patients underwent bioimpedancemetry. The levels of homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folic acid in the blood were determined. The results were statistically processed. Significance level was taken as p<0.05.Results. Patients with metabolic syndrome differed significantly in all bioimpedancemetry parameters. Metabolic syndrome was characterized by an increase in visceral fat area by 3.07 times, fat mass by 2.64 times, and total water content by 2.05 times (all p<0.05). Homocysteine levels in patients with metabolic syndrome were 115% of those without metabolic syndrome. This was accompanied by a decrease in vitamin B12 levels to 85.2% of those without metabolic syndrome and folic acid levels to 82.6% of controls. Predictors of metabolic syndrome were an increase of homocysteine levels above 8 μmol/l and a decrease of vitamin B12 levels below 900 pg/ml. With a homocysteine level >8 μmol/l, the probability of a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome increased by 7.14 times (95% confidence interval [1.37-37.23]; p=0.02 with a sensitivity of 90.9% and a specificity of 41.67%). Vitamin B12 level <900 pg/mL was a statistically significant predictor of metabolic syndrome. Such level increased probability of metabolic syndrome by 7.50 times (95% confidence interval [1.16-48.56]; p=0.03 with a sensitivity of 93.75% and a specificity of 33.33%). Conclusions. Increased homocysteine levels and decreased vitamin B12 levels were predictive criteria of metabolic syndrome in individuals without cardiovascular disease.