OBJECTIVETo study the relationship of stroke and plasma homocysteine (Hcy) level and the mutation of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene.

METHODSThree hundred patients with stroke were included as the case group in this study while 300 subjects without stroke matched with the case group for sex and age were collected as the control group. Plasma Hcy level was measured using HPLC and MTHFR 667C-->T mutant was determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment analysis. The relationship of stroke and plasma Hcy level and the mutation of MTHFR gene was then analysed.

RESULTSThe plasma Hcy level of the case group was significantly higher than that of the control group (16.92 +/- 3.43 micromol/L vs. 14.57 +/- 2.59 micromol/L, P <0.05). There was no significant difference in mutation rate of MTHFR C677T between stroke group and control group (P >0.05), as well as between ischemic stroke group and homorrhagic stroke group (P >0.05). The mutation of MTHFR C677T had no significant influence on the Hcy level (15.28 +/- 2.17 micromol/L vs. 15.11 +/- 3.81 micromol/L, P >0.05).

CONCLUSIONIncreased plasma Hcy level played an important role in the occurrence of stroke in Chinese people, and the mutation of MTHFR C677T was not associated with Hcy level or stroke which led to the speculation that plasma Hcy level was important in the prevention of cardio-cerebro-vascular diseases among Chinese people.