Rapid analysis of total plasma homocysteine by tandem mass spectrometry

Elevated plasma homocysteine levels may be an independent risk factor for premature vascular disease. Early detection and population screening are warranted to recognise hyperhomocysteinemia and initiate homocysteine lowering therapy. Current methods for homocysteine analysis are time consuming, labor intensive and/or expensive. We developed a sensitive and fast method for homocysteine analysis based on tandem mass spectrometry that avoids the need for derivatization and preanalytical chromatography.