TY - JOUR JO - Reumatologia/Rheumatology SN - 0034-6233 VL - 58 IS - 5 PY - 2020 ID - Głuszek2020 TI - The importance of homocysteine in the development of cardiovascular complications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis AB - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) not only leads to disability due to joint changes, but also significantly shortens the life expectancy of patients, mainly due to more frequent occurrence of heart attacks and strokes. Accelerated atherosclerosis in these patients is caused, among other factors, by high homocysteine (HCY) concentration in blood. Numerous studies have shown that treatment with vitamin B significantly reduces the concentration of HCY in blood, but does not reduce the risk of heart diseases. Recent studies have shown, however, that folic acid (FA) administration reduces the risk of stroke by 10–20%. Due to the fact that in patients with RA strokes are more frequent than in the general population and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY) is often found, determination of HCY concentration in blood is advisable, and in persons with HHCY it is recommended to use FA in primary and secondary stroke prevention. AU - Głuszek, Jerzy AU - Wierzowiecka, Małgorzata AU - Niklas, Karolina AU - Niklas, Arkadiusz SP - 282 EP - 288 DA - 2020 DO - 10.5114/reum.2020.99732 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5114/reum.2020.99732 ER -