Brit J Heamatol: Homocysteine is associated with the severity of microvascular lesions in patients with sickle cell disease

The pathophysiological mechanisms of sickle cell disease (SCD) include vascular lesions and anemiaElevated plasma homocysteine is a risk factor for vascular disease and may be associated with an increased risk of vascular complications in Patients with SCD, researchers used noninvasive techniques from computer-aided living microscopes to assess the microvascular characteristics of the spherical conjunctiva in 18 pediatrics and 18 adult SCD patients using a study published in the journal British Journal of Blood System DiseasesThe researchers calculated the Vascular Disease Severity Index (SI) to quantify the degree of microvascular lesions in each patient and measured plasma homocysteine and its several determinants (serum folic acid and vitamin B12), plasma phosphoric acid (the status of vitamin B6) and creatine (kidney function)age is closely related to microvascular lesions in SCD patients, with SI rising by about 0.1 units (P 0.001) for every increase in age of 1 yearAfter adjusting age, gender, vitamin B status and creatinine, high cysteine concentrations were directly related to severity index (P 0.05)Age and homocysteine concentration are independent predictors of microvascular lesions in Patients with SCDHowever, it remains to be seen whether reducing the concentration of homocysteine with appropriate vitamin B supplements (folic acid and vitamin B12 and B6) can improve microvascular lesions and related complications in SCD patients