Homocysteine levels in Turkish children.

Hyperhomocysteinemia is a known risk factor for cerebrovascular, peripheral vascular, coronary heart disease, and thrombosis. Several data related to total homocysteine concentrations for children and adolescents were reported from different populations. But no data are available comparing homocysteine levels analyzing according to age ranges in Turkish children. So, we aimed to achieve a reference range for total homocysteine in Turkish children. Plasma total homocysteine concentrations were measured in 177 healthy children within three groups according to age range (1-6, 7-11, 12-17 y). Mean tHcy concentrations were determined (7.77 ± 4.13 μmol/L). Homocysteine were lowest in younger children and increased with age: 1-6 y (3.87 ± 1.44 μmol/L), 7-11 y (8.70 ± 1.40 μmol/L), and 12-17 y (13.54 ± 1.49 μmol/L). We observed no significant differences in tHcy values between girls and boys in all groups. We suggest that total homocysteine levels must be evaluated in children according to age.