Hyperhomocysteinemia in Advanced Age
Abstract
Nutritional deficiency does not fit the view of life in an affluent society and in fact typical diseases resulting from a deficiency of vitamins are actually a rarity. On the other hand, elderly people must be regarded as an essential risk group for vitamin deficiency because of various influence factors. The frequency of lowered vitamin concentrations in the blood increases with age. However, knowledge on the consequences for this population is insufficient, especially for hyperhomocysteinemia.
Investigations have yielded the following results: 1. Hyperhomocysteinemia often occurs with advanced age; 2. Impairment of physical condition or social situation seems to increase the risk of hyperhomocysteinemia; 3. Administration of the vitamins B6, B12 and folate causes a significant decrease of elevated serum homocysteine concentrations in older persons.
Homocysteine-lowering treatment should improve the prevention of chronic diseases. The question is which effects can be expected from such treatment in the elderly. Because of its great importance for both the persons concerned and society in general hyperhomocysteinemia in advanced age requires further systematic examination.
Copyright © 2001 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
Articles in the same Issue
- Historical Aspects and Perspectives in Homocysteine Research
- The Importance of Hyperhomocysteinemia as a Risk Factor for Diseases: An Overview
- Pre-analytical Conditions Affecting the Determination of the Plasma Homocysteine Concentration
- Total Plasma Homocysteine and Related Amino Acids in End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Patients Measured by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry – Comparison with the Abbott IMx Homocysteine Assay and the HPLC Method
- Is Hyperhomocysteinemia due to the Oxidative Depletion of Folate rather than to Insufficient Dietary Intake?
- Hyperhomocysteinemia in Advanced Age
- Genetic Defects as Important Factors for Moderate Hyperhomocysteinemia
- Heterogeneity of the Association between Plasma Homocysteine and Atherothrombotic Disease: Insights from Studies of Vascular Structure and Function
- Hyperhomocysteinemia as a Risk Factor for Venous Thrombosis
- Hyperhomocysteinaemia in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease
- Homocysteine, Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
- Homocysteine in Cerebrovascular Disease: an Independent Risk Factor for Subcortical Vascular Encephalopathy
- Vascular Dysfunction in Hyperhomocyst(e)inemia. Implications for Atherothrombotic Disease
- Hyperhomocysteinemia in Chronic Renal Failure Patients: Relation to Nutritional Status and Cardiovascular Disease
- Homocysteine, Cystathionine, Methylmalonic Acid and B-Vitamins in Patients with Renal Disease
- Hyperhomocysteinemia Is Related to Residual Glomerular Filtration and Folate, but not to Methylenetetrahydrofolate-Reductase and Methionine Synthase Polymorphisms, in Supplemented End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis
- Effect of Treatment of Hypothyroidism on the Plasma Concentrations of Neuroactive Steroids and Homocysteine
- Hyperhomocysteinaemia and Human Reproduction
- Homocysteine in Postmenopausal Women and the Importance of Hormone Replacement Therapy
- Does a Single Vitamin B-Supplementation Induce Functional Vitamin B-Deficiency?
- IFCC News – July 2001
Articles in the same Issue
- Historical Aspects and Perspectives in Homocysteine Research
- The Importance of Hyperhomocysteinemia as a Risk Factor for Diseases: An Overview
- Pre-analytical Conditions Affecting the Determination of the Plasma Homocysteine Concentration
- Total Plasma Homocysteine and Related Amino Acids in End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Patients Measured by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry – Comparison with the Abbott IMx Homocysteine Assay and the HPLC Method
- Is Hyperhomocysteinemia due to the Oxidative Depletion of Folate rather than to Insufficient Dietary Intake?
- Hyperhomocysteinemia in Advanced Age
- Genetic Defects as Important Factors for Moderate Hyperhomocysteinemia
- Heterogeneity of the Association between Plasma Homocysteine and Atherothrombotic Disease: Insights from Studies of Vascular Structure and Function
- Hyperhomocysteinemia as a Risk Factor for Venous Thrombosis
- Hyperhomocysteinaemia in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease
- Homocysteine, Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease
- Homocysteine in Cerebrovascular Disease: an Independent Risk Factor for Subcortical Vascular Encephalopathy
- Vascular Dysfunction in Hyperhomocyst(e)inemia. Implications for Atherothrombotic Disease
- Hyperhomocysteinemia in Chronic Renal Failure Patients: Relation to Nutritional Status and Cardiovascular Disease
- Homocysteine, Cystathionine, Methylmalonic Acid and B-Vitamins in Patients with Renal Disease
- Hyperhomocysteinemia Is Related to Residual Glomerular Filtration and Folate, but not to Methylenetetrahydrofolate-Reductase and Methionine Synthase Polymorphisms, in Supplemented End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis
- Effect of Treatment of Hypothyroidism on the Plasma Concentrations of Neuroactive Steroids and Homocysteine
- Hyperhomocysteinaemia and Human Reproduction
- Homocysteine in Postmenopausal Women and the Importance of Hormone Replacement Therapy
- Does a Single Vitamin B-Supplementation Induce Functional Vitamin B-Deficiency?
- IFCC News – July 2001
