Abstract:

Objective To investigate the distribution of serum homocysteine（Hcy） levels of apparently healthy subjects in Beijing. Methods A total of 10 807 apparently healthy subjects from the Air Force Medical Center from June 2018 to June 2020 were enrolled to determine serum Hcy levels. They were classified according to ages（≤30 years old，31-40 years old，41-50 years old，51-60 years old，61-70 years old and 71-93 years old） and sex. Deming regression analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between Hcy and age. Results Serum Hcy of 10 807 apparently healthy subjects in Beijing ranged from 2.3 to 141.7 μmol/L，and the median was 12.1 μmol/L.There was no statistical significance in serum Hcy level between ≤30 and 31-40 years old groups and 41-50，51-60 and 61-70 years old groups（P>0.05），and there was statistical significance in serum Hcy level for the other age groups（P<0.05）. The total Hcy level in males and Hcy level in all age groups were higher than those in females（P<0.001）. In apparently healthy males，there was no statistical significance in serum Hcy level between ≤30 and 61-70 years old groups，between 31-40 and 41-50 years old groups and between 51-60 and 61-70 years old groups（P>0.05），but there was statistical significance for the other groups（P<0.001）. In apparently healthy females，there was no statistical significance in Hcy level between ≤30 and 41-50 years old groups（P>0.05），but there was statistical significance for the other groups（P<0.001）. According to the current Hcy reference interval （5-15 μmol/L），the determination rate of hyperhomocysteinemia（HHcy） in apparently healthy subjects was 21.2%. According to the established reference intervals for males and females，the determination rates of HHcy were 2.3% for males and 0.2% for females. Conclusions There are sex and age differences in serum Hcy levels among apparently healthy subjects in Beijing. It is recommended to establish corresponding reference intervals based on sex and ages. Apparently healthy subjects aged ≤ 30 have high levels of serum Hcy.

Key words: Homocysteine, Reference interval, Apparently healthy subject, Beijing