An association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and ischemic stroke in elderly Japanese.

The present study was performed to clarify the relation between plasma homocysteine and ischemic stroke. We studied the relationship between ischemic stroke and the known risk factors for atherosclerosis including plasma homocysteine in 91 in-patients (80.3 +/- 6.8 years) in a medical ward. Those diagnosed with transient ischemic attack, cerebral infarction were placed in the disease group. Blood was drawn from in-patients in a fasting state for determination of plasma homocysteine. Plasma homocysteine concentrations were determined using a high-performance liquid chromatography assay. The odds ratio of ischemic stroke was higher in the second (10.0-13.9 micromol/l) and third highest plasma homocysteine concentration groups (> or = 14.0 micromol/l) than in the first group (< 10.0 micromol/l) by 5.18 and 4.42-fold, respectively. Logistic regression analysis using ischemic stroke as an object variable, adjusted by various risk factors including the plasma homocysteine concentration showed that the odds ratio on combining the second and third groups was 5.80 (95% confidence interval (Cl): 1.50-22.5) compared with the first group. The findings confirmed that the association between plasma homocysteine concentration and ischemic stroke in Western populations is also present among the elderly Japanese.