Abstract
Background: Hyperhomocystinemia is an established risk factor for cardiovascular events and has been identified as an important cause of morbidity and mortality in renal transplant recipients. This investigation was aimed to determine the effect of age and transplant duration on serum total homocysteine (tHcy) levels in renal transplant recipients. Methods: We analyzed serum levels of tHcy, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine transferase, bilirubin, calcium, corrected calcium, cholesterol, creatinine, folate, phosphate, potassium, sodium, triglycerides, urea and vitamin B12 in 88 transplant patients (ages, 14-67 years; transplant duration, 1-252 months) and 60 control subjects. Results: Our results showed significant hyperhomocystinemia in transplant patients (19.92 ± 0.72) as compared to controls (9.28 ± 0.25), while male subjects in both groups had significantly higher tHcy than females. There was no correlation between patients' age and serum tHcy, whereas the time after transplantation was significantly correlated with tHcy (r = 0.318, P < 0.01). A significant correlation was observed between tHcy and serum urea, creatinine, vitamin B12 and potassium in renal transplant patients. Conclusion: This study clearly demonstrated significant hyperhomocystinemia and renal impairment in transplant recipients. A time-course increase in serum tHcy during posttransplant duration warrants long-term monitoring of patients for effective clinical management.