[The influence of tobacco smoke on homocysteine level in plasma of healthy males].

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of tobacco smoke on homocysteine concentration in plasma. 168 healthy males between the age of 18 and 60 were qualified for the study. The exposure to tobacco smoke in examined group was determined on the basis of personal questionnaire and cotinine concentration in plasma. Three groups were chosen: non-smokers (control, 53 people), passive (48 people) and active smokers (67 people). The average levels of plasma cotinine concentration for selected groups were 4.3; 18.3 and 115 ng/ml respectively. Significant difference (p=0.019) of plasma homocysteine concentration between passive smokers and non-smokers was determined (10.4 and 9.2 micromol/L, respectively). A difference of homocysteine concentration in plasma for active smokers relatively to control group was higher and was 12.2 vs 9.2 micromol/L, p<0.001. Concentrations of plasma homocysteine were significant and positively correlated with concentrations of cotinine in plasma and Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was 0.341 for passive smokers and 0.678 for active ones. The results obtained indicate that passive smoking has effect as toxic as active smoking which, inter alia, is manifested by increase in concentration of aterogenic homocysteine in plasma for both passive and active smokers.