Association of vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine with functional and pathological characteristics of the elderly in a mountainous village in Sicily
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Rosario Sebastiano Spada
Abstract
Background: Homocysteine is associated with age, folate and vitamin B12. Our study investigated the functional and clinical characteristics of the elderly (aged 60–85 years) of San Teodoro, a village in Central Sicily, and evaluated associations with vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine.
Methods: Subjects (n=280) were examined after door-to-door recruitment using interview, physician examination and laboratory tests.
Results: A total of 19.3% of the population had a low blood level of folate (<7 nmol/L) and 3.2% had low vitamin B12 concentration (<100 pmol/L). The level of dependency, determined by the Barthel index, influenced homocysteine blood levels (p<0.0001), independent of age (p<0.0001), folate (p=0.0028) and vitamin B12 (p=0.0165). Homocysteine was significantly associated with stroke (p=0.0027) and peripheral arterial vascular disease (p=0.0001), but not with myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, venous thrombosis or cancer. Vitamin B12 was lower in myocardial infarction and higher in diabetes and venous thrombosis compared to the other diseases.
Conclusions: The prevalence of deficits in folate and vitamin B12 was paradoxically high in the mountainous northeastern area of Sicily. Our study also underlines the association of homocysteine with dependency of the elderly and with stroke and peripheral arteriopathy.
Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:136–42.
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©2007 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
Articles in the same Issue
- Associations between folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine and pathologies related to aging: the need to consider complex nutrient-nutrient and gene-nutrient interactions and the functional and socio-economic determinants in population-based studies
- Hyperhomocysteinemia and cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women: the role of folate supplementation
- Association of vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine with functional and pathological characteristics of the elderly in a mountainous village in Sicily
- Association of thyroid dysfunction with vitamin B12, folate and plasma homocysteine levels in the elderly: a population-based study in Sicily
- Desmond (Des) Kenny MSc MCB FICI FRCPath Eur Clin Chem, 1941–2006
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- Determination of the hepatitis C virus subtype: comparison of sequencing and reverse hybridization assays
- Quantification of relative changes in specific mRNAs from frozen whole blood – methodological considerations and clinical implications
- HER-2 protein concentrations in breast cancer cells increase before immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis turn positive
- Distinct alleles of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and surfactant proteins A (SP-A) in patients with chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis
- Novel molecular defect in the platelet ADP receptor P2Y12 of a patient with haemorrhagic diathesis
- Retrospective study of monoclonal gammopathies detected in the clinical laboratory of a Spanish healthcare district: 14-year series
- Renal impairment compromises the use of total homocysteine and methylmalonic acid but not total vitamin B12 and holotranscobalamin in screening for vitamin B12 deficiency in the aged
- Diagnostic value of calculated testosterone indices in the assessment of polycystic ovary syndrome
- Amniotic fibronectin fragmentation and expression of its domains, sialyl and fucosyl glycotopes associated with pregnancy complicated by intrauterine infection
- Predicted influence of sample hematocrit on injected mass of internal standard in mass spectrometry assays utilizing simple protein precipitation for sample preparation
- Evaluation of cardiovascular risk factors and related clinical markers in healthy young Japanese adults
- Cardiac natriuretic peptides after myocardial infarction: relationship with infarct size, left ventricular function and remodelling assessed by 99mTc-sestamibi gated-single photon emission tomography
- Plasma homocysteine cutoff values for venous thrombosis
- Lipid transfer protein activities in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance
- Heat shock protein 70-1 gene expression in pediatric heart surgery using blood cardioplegia
- Biochemical reference intervals for sex hormones with a new AutoDelfia method in aged men
- The Italian External Quality Control Programme for cystic fibrosis molecular diagnosis: 4 years of activity
- Standardization of ischemia-modified albumin testing: adjustment for serum albumin
- Is simultaneous measurement of anti-thyroid peroxidase and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies clinically useful in patients with thyroid dysfunction?
- To the Editor: In reply to Nakano et al. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44(5):522–532
- To the Editor: Author reply; Nakano et al. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44(5):522–532
- Accreditation of medical laboratories in the European Union
- Prevalence-dependent decision limits for the early detection of type 2 diabetes mellitus in venous blood, venous plasma and capillary blood during glucose challenge
Articles in the same Issue
- Associations between folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine and pathologies related to aging: the need to consider complex nutrient-nutrient and gene-nutrient interactions and the functional and socio-economic determinants in population-based studies
- Hyperhomocysteinemia and cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women: the role of folate supplementation
- Association of vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine with functional and pathological characteristics of the elderly in a mountainous village in Sicily
- Association of thyroid dysfunction with vitamin B12, folate and plasma homocysteine levels in the elderly: a population-based study in Sicily
- Desmond (Des) Kenny MSc MCB FICI FRCPath Eur Clin Chem, 1941–2006
- Antibodies to citrullinated peptides: a significant step forward in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis
- Patient hydration: a major source of laboratory uncertainty
- Determination of the hepatitis C virus subtype: comparison of sequencing and reverse hybridization assays
- Quantification of relative changes in specific mRNAs from frozen whole blood – methodological considerations and clinical implications
- HER-2 protein concentrations in breast cancer cells increase before immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis turn positive
- Distinct alleles of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and surfactant proteins A (SP-A) in patients with chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis
- Novel molecular defect in the platelet ADP receptor P2Y12 of a patient with haemorrhagic diathesis
- Retrospective study of monoclonal gammopathies detected in the clinical laboratory of a Spanish healthcare district: 14-year series
- Renal impairment compromises the use of total homocysteine and methylmalonic acid but not total vitamin B12 and holotranscobalamin in screening for vitamin B12 deficiency in the aged
- Diagnostic value of calculated testosterone indices in the assessment of polycystic ovary syndrome
- Amniotic fibronectin fragmentation and expression of its domains, sialyl and fucosyl glycotopes associated with pregnancy complicated by intrauterine infection
- Predicted influence of sample hematocrit on injected mass of internal standard in mass spectrometry assays utilizing simple protein precipitation for sample preparation
- Evaluation of cardiovascular risk factors and related clinical markers in healthy young Japanese adults
- Cardiac natriuretic peptides after myocardial infarction: relationship with infarct size, left ventricular function and remodelling assessed by 99mTc-sestamibi gated-single photon emission tomography
- Plasma homocysteine cutoff values for venous thrombosis
- Lipid transfer protein activities in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance
- Heat shock protein 70-1 gene expression in pediatric heart surgery using blood cardioplegia
- Biochemical reference intervals for sex hormones with a new AutoDelfia method in aged men
- The Italian External Quality Control Programme for cystic fibrosis molecular diagnosis: 4 years of activity
- Standardization of ischemia-modified albumin testing: adjustment for serum albumin
- Is simultaneous measurement of anti-thyroid peroxidase and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies clinically useful in patients with thyroid dysfunction?
- To the Editor: In reply to Nakano et al. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44(5):522–532
- To the Editor: Author reply; Nakano et al. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44(5):522–532
- Accreditation of medical laboratories in the European Union
- Prevalence-dependent decision limits for the early detection of type 2 diabetes mellitus in venous blood, venous plasma and capillary blood during glucose challenge
