Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0042373 (vascular disease)
 17,070 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Serum level of the amino acid homocysteine, and vitamins folate, B12 and pyridoxal phosphate, and red blood cell folate levels were determined on Cycle days 3 and 21 in 26 women using the oral contraceptive Marvelon (30 mcg ethinyl estradiol and 150 mcg desogestrel), compared with 15 menstruating women. The 26 pill users had taken Marvelon for mean 3.7 years. Fasting homocysteine was assayed with an amino acid autoanalyzer; folate and B12 by radioimmunoassay; pyridoxal by high-performance liquid chromatography. The pill users had significantly higher homocysteine on Day 3 than controls (p0.01), levels comparable to those in heterozygote carriers of homocystinuria. Homocysteine levels were significantly lower in pill users on Day 21 compared to their levels on Day 3. Pyridoxal levels were significantly lower in Marvelon users on both days tested (p0.05). Homocysteine, folate and B12 were not significantly different in pill users and non-users on Day 21. The data indicate a cycle of high and low homocysteine levels in users of Marvelon. High homocysteine has been implicated in vascular disease, and may be a causative factor in the risk for thrombosis in pill users.
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PMID:Effects of sub-50 oral contraceptives on homocysteine metabolism: a preliminary study. 153 73