Homocysteine, folate, and congenital heart defects.

Congenital heart disease will be the next frontier for prevention by periconceptional management of homocysteine and its metabolites by folate supplementation. Evidence for the connection between maternal and fetal folate metabolism and congenital malformations of the cardiovascular system is reviewed including possible applications to the large population of patients at risk for a child with congenital heart disease.