Abstract
Backgrounds; We investigated the incidence and clinical significance of hyperhomocysteinemia in cerebral infarction (study 1) and dementia (study 2) in relation to the clinical findings.
Subjects and Methods; Blood levels of homocysteine (HC) and related coenzymes, that is, folic acid, vitamin B12, and 136, were determined in patients with cerebral infarction in the chronic stage, dementia, and controls. Data were analyzed retrospectively (study 1; n = 145, study 2; n= 143). Grades of cerebral white matter lesions (periventricular hyperintensity and/or deep and subcortical white matter hyperintensity) were evalu-ated by using Shinohara's grading (2003). Binswanger type dementia (Binswanger's disease) was diagnosed based on the criteria by Bennett DA, et al. (1990).
Results; In study 1, increased levels of HC and Lp (a) as well as decreased levels of HC-related coenzymes were observed in patients with atherothrombotic infarction or white matter lesions. In study 2, increased lev-els of HC and Lp (a), and also, decreased levels of HC-related coenzymes were observed in patients with vascular dementia, mixed dementia, and Binswanger's disease.
Conclusions; HC, Lp (a), and HC-related coenzymes are involved in the pathogenesis not only of cerebral infarction but also of vascular dementia including Binswanger type.
