How to Analyze Homocysteine Levels

Homocysteine is an amino acid manufactured by the human body. While it is a naturally occurring amino acid--often derived from meat consumption--it is not always a safe one, especially in higher amounts. A high homocysteine level may be associated with a number of medical issues, including heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and venous thromboembolism (blood clots within the veins.) "Some evidence suggests that people with high homocysteine levels have twice the normal risk of developing Alzheimer's disease," says Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. Your doctor should analyze your homocysteine levels, but some basic knowledge about what the numbers mean will be helpful to any patient.

Instructions

• 1

  Get your blood drawn for the homocysteine test. The test allows the amounts of homocysteine in your blood to be accurately measured.

• 2

  Check with the facility where you had your blood drawn or with your personal doctor to get the results of the homocysteine blood test.

• 3

  Compare your homocysteine levels against the levels normally in the blood. Measurements for this blood test are listed in micromoles: a unit that measures a small portion of a molecule. Normal homocysteine levels range from five to 15 micromoles. If micromole levels are above 15, the blood sample is considered to have an elevated level of homocysteine.

• 4

  Analyze any elevated levels according to whether the homocysteine levels are moderate, intermediate or severe. 15 to 30 micromoles of homocysteine per liter of blood is a moderate level. 30 to 100 micromoles per liter is an intermediate level of homocysteine. Any amount larger than than 100 micromoles per liter is a severely high homocysteine level.