Cerebral vein thrombosis and mild hyperhomocysteinemia: three new cases

Abstract.

Mild hyperhomocysteinemia is an established risk factor for deep vein thrombosis. We report three patients with cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT) in which the only risk factor we were able to identify was increased blood homocysteine levels and the C677T polymorphism in both alleles of the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase MTHFR gene. We suggest that hyperhomocysteinemia should also be a risk factor for CVT. Since this condition can be effectively and safely corrected by drugs, we suggest that homocysteine levels should be routinely determined in patients with idiopatic CVT, and even mildly increased levels corrected pharmacologically, in the hope of reducing the risks associated with this condition.