Homocysteine - Serum

Description

A homocysteine test measures the amount of homocysteine in a sample of your blood. Homocysteine is an amino acid. Amino acids are molecules that your body uses to make proteins.

Normally, your homocysteine levels are low. That's because your body uses vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folic acid (also called folate or vitamin B9) to quickly break down homocysteine and change it into other substances that your body needs. High levels of homocysteine in your blood may be a sign that this process isn't working properly or that you're lacking certain B vitamins.

High levels of homocysteine can damage the inside of your arteries and increase your risk of forming blood clots. This may increase your risk for heart attack, stroke, and other heart diseases and blood vessel disorders.

Other names: total homocysteine, plasma total homocysteine.

Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.