Homocysteine
Homocysteine
- This test is done to ascertain the risk of heart attack or stroke
- No special preparation is required.
- Homocysteine test measures the amount of homocysteine in your blood.
What is Homocysteine Test?
Homocysteine test measures the amount of homocysteine in your blood. Homocysteine is a type of amino acid used to make proteins. Vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folic acid helps to break down homocysteine and change it into other substances your body needs. If you have high levels of homocysteine in your blood, it may be associated with a vitamin deficiency, heart disease or a rare inherited disorder (homocysteinuria). If your homocysteine level is too high, it can damage your arteries and cause dangerous blood clots to form. The main aim of test is to screen for heart attack and stroke, especially in people with no risk factors but with a family history of cardiovascular diseases.
Reported Parameters
- Normal Range – 5 to 15 micromoles per liter (mcmol/L)
- Excess > 50mcmol/L
All The Questions that you might have
- What is Homocysteine Test ?
- What does the Homocysteine test measure?
- Why should I do the Homocysteine test?
- How is the Homocysteine test done?
Homocysteine test measures the amount of homocysteine in your blood. Homocysteine is a type of amino acid used to make proteins. Vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folic acid helps to break down homocysteine and change it into other substances your body needs. If you have high levels of homocysteine in your blood, it may be associated with a vitamin deficiency, heart disease or a rare inherited disorder (homocysteinuria). If your homocysteine level is too high, it can damage your arteries and cause dangerous blood clots to form. The main aim of test is to screen for heart attack and stroke, especially in people with no risk factors but with a family history of cardiovascular diseases.
The homocysteine serum test measures the level of homocysteine in your blood. Homocysteine is an amino acid molecule that is responsible for making proteins in the body. Normally, a healthy body will have low levels of homocysteine.
Homocysteine test is done to check for deficiency of Folic Acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12. It is also used to screen for heart disease in people at high risk for heart attack or stroke. Also used to help diagnose a rare inherited disorder called homocystinuria in newborns. Patients who have had heart strokes or heart attacks must take this test. Also, those who have health conditions that can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, high LDL, or bad cholesterol, should get this test done. This test is also recommended for people with a B deficiency.
Other purposes include:
- Monitoring the deficiency of Folic Acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12.
- Screening cardiovascular diseases in people who are at high risk for heart attack or stroke.
- Evaluating and diagnosing a rare inherited disorder called homocystinuria in newborns.
- Identifying blood vessel disorders, peripheral vascular diseases, and coronary artery diseases.
The homocysteine test is a simple blood test and requires fasting for 8-12 hours before the test. The blood sample can be taken by the phlebotomist at a pathology lab.
