BACKGROUND: Hyperhomocysteinemia, as an important risk factor for ischemic cerebrovascular disease is receiving increasing attention. OBJECTIVE: To analyze whether differences of gender, age, cerebrovascular disease typing, and disease conditions exist when ischemic cerebrovascular disease occurs together with hyperhomocysteinemia. DESIGN: A controlled observation. SETTING: Department of Neurology, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 601 acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease inpatients, comprising 386 males and 215 females, aged 33-90 years old, were admitted to the Department of Stroke, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital between August 2005 and April 2007, and were recruited for this study. All included patients consisted of 342 aged patients (≥ 60 years old) and 92 middle-aged and young patients (< 60 years old). Among these patients, 48 suffered from transient cerebral ischemic attack, 138 from lacunar cerebral infarction, 273 from atherosclerotic stroke, 38 from cardiogenic cerebral infarction, 44 from agnogenic ischemic stroke, and 6 from other factor-induced ischemic strokes. All included inpatients corresponded to the diagnosis criteria of acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease, formulated in the 4th National Working Conference of Cerebrovascular Disease, and were confirmed as acute ischemic cerebral infarction by CT and/or MRI examinations. Informed consents of laboratory measurements were obtained from all subjects, and this study was approved by the Hospital’s Ethics Committee. METHODS: Following admission, 2 mL venous blood was collected from each fasting patient on the third morning. Plasma homocysteine level was measured by an enzymatic cycling assay with a CX5 reader (Beckman, USA). Plasma homocysteine levels ≥ 16 μmol/L were defined as hyperhomocysteinemia. Clinical neurological function deficit scoring was also performed for each ischemic stroke patient using Chinese stroke scales. Scores ranged from 0-45 (0-15: mild neurological function deficits, 16-30: moderate neurological deficits, and 31-45: severe neurological deficits). The scores positively correlated with severity of stroke. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of ischemic cerebrovascular disease patients complicated by hyperhomocysteinemia and the effects of patient age and gender; plasma homocysteine levels of each type of ischemic cerebrovascular disease; and effects of ischemic cerebrovascular disease conditions on plasma homocysteine levels. RESULTS: All 601 inpatients with acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease were included in the final analysis. The detection rate of homocysteine was significantly higher in aged patients than in middle-aged and young patients (χ2 = 5.353 0, P < 0.05). The incidence of hyperhomocysteinemia was significantly higher in male patients than in female patients (χ2 = 9.484 4, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of hyperhomocysteinemia among various types of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases (P > 0.05). No significant difference in incidence of hyperhomocysteinemia existed between mild, moderate, and severe cerebrovascular disease patients (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is a greater chance of ischemic cerebrovascular disease complicated by hyperhomocysteinemia in older, male patients. BACKGROUND: Hyperhomocysteinemia, as an important risk factor for ischemic cerebrovascular disease is receiving more attention. OBJECTIVE: To analyze whether differences of gender, age, cerebrovascular disease typing like, and disease conditions exist when ischemic cerebrovascular disease occurs together with hyperhomocysteinemia. SETTING: Department of Neurology, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 601 acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease inpatients, comprising 386 males and 215 females, aged 33-90 years old, were admitted to the Department of Stroke, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital between All these patients, 48 ​​suffered from transient (60 years old) and 92 middle-aged and young patients (<60 years old). cerebral ischemic attack, 138 from lacunar cerebral infarction, 273 from atherosclerotic stroke, 38 from cardiogenic c erebral infarction, 44 from ag factorogenic ischemic stroke, and 6 from other factor-induced ischemic strokes. All included inpatients in the diagnosis of acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease, formulated in the 4th National Working Conference of Cerebrovascular Disease, and were confirmed as acute ischemic cerebral infarction by CT and / or MRI examinations. Informed consents of laboratory measurements were obtained from all subjects, and this study was approved by the Hospital’s Ethics Committee. METHODS: Following admission, 2 mL venous blood was collected from each fasting patient on the third Plasma homocysteine ​​levels were measured by an enzymatic cycling assay with a CX5 reader (Beckman, USA). Plasma homocysteine ​​levels ≥ 16 μmol / L were defined as hyperhomocysteinemia. Clinical neurological function deficit scoring was also performed for each ischemic stroke patient using Chinese stroke scales. Scores ranged from 0-45 (0-15: mild neurological function deficits, 16-30: moderate neurological deficits, and 31-45: severe neurological deficits). The scores associated with severity of stroke. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of ischemic cerebrovascular disease patients complicated by hyperhomocysteinemia and the effects of patient age and gender ; plasma homocysteine ​​levels of each type of ischemic cerebrovascular disease; and effects of ischemic cerebrovascular disease conditions on plasma homocysteine ​​levels. RESULTS: All 601 inpatients with acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease were included in the final analysis. The detection rate of homocysteine ​​was significantly higher in aged patients than in middle-aged and young patients (χ2 = 5.353 0, P <0.05). The incidence of hyperhomocysteinemia was significantly higher in male patients than in female patients (χ2 = 9.484 4, P <0.05). difference in the incidence of hyperhomocysteinemia among various types of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases (P> 0.05). No si gnificant difference in incidence of hyperhomocysteinemia existed between mild, moderate, and severe cerebrovascular disease patients (P> 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is a greater chance of ischemic cerebrovascular disease complicated by hyperhomocysteinemia in older, male patients.