Homocysteine Testing
- By:Lena Butler
The Importance of Homocysteine
Homocysteine is an amino acid that is produced in the body. Although this can be a vital substance in the body, increased homocysteine levels is associated with high cholesterol and build up of materials such as white blood cells, calcium and plaque in blood vessels. The increased materials in blood vessels increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism. Therefore, a high homocysteine level is a usual indicator of an increased risk factor of heart complications. High homocysteine can be corrected by applying proper diet and routine homocysteine testing.
Homocysteine is a marker of bad health which makes it critical for an individual to monitor their homocysteine levels. Consistent homocysteine testing is essential to people with a family history of heart diseases. Homocysteine testing is also important for people who have a history of heart diseases without a described cause. With the complication of heart diseases, homocysteine testing is an information gateway reflecting the heart conditions of a patient.
Homocysteine Blood Tests
Keeping a low homocysteine level is done through homocysteine blood tests. The application of homocysteine blood tests does not only indicate the outlook of one’s health and wellness. In addition, a homocysteine blood test is done to help determine the risk of heart disease, stroke and condition of the blood vessels.
Homocysteine levels are also an indication of vitamin B12 deficiency or folic acid deficiency. A high level of homocysteine blood test results usually indicates nutritional deficiency. However, there is also wellness panel test to measure different kinds of nutrition deficiencies.
Homocysteine testing helps identify the occurrence of homocystinuria. This rare disease causes heart complications and delayed growth in babies. A high homocysteine level is a result of enzyme deficiency caused by homocystinuria. It is evident that homocysteine testing has numerous applications aside from measuring the general health and wellness of a person.
Homocysteine Test Information
Preparing for a homocysteine blood test involves a set of guidelines to produce accurate results. For starters, one should not eat or drink anything except water for ten to twelve hours. In addition, there are different drug interactions that can modify the homocysteine test results. Your doctor should know any prescription drugs that you take before taking homocysteine tests. Finally, allow the doctor to interpret the homocysteine test results for you, so that you are left completely satisfied with the meaning of your homocysteine levels.About the author:
Lena Butler, the author of TestCountry Health