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Homocysteine and major coronary events: a prospective population study amongst women
1Department of Nutrition and Department of Health and Disability, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland. paul.knekt@ktl.fi
Insights
Elevated serum homocysteine levels predict major coronary heart disease events in women with pre-existing heart disease. This finding highlights homocysteine as a significant risk factor for cardiovascular events in this population.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Biochemistry
- Epidemiology
Background:
- High homocysteine levels are implicated in cardiovascular disease.
- Understanding homocysteine's role in women's heart disease is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum homocysteine as a predictor of major coronary heart disease events in women.
- To assess the association between homocysteine concentrations and cardiovascular outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study nested within a 13-year follow-up study.
- Included women with and without known heart disease, matched with controls.
- Major coronary events (death or myocardial infarction) were the primary outcome measure.
Main Results:
- Among women with baseline heart disease, the highest homocysteine quintile showed a 3.32-fold increased risk of coronary events (95% CI, 1.05-10.5) compared to the lowest.
- In women without baseline heart disease, the relative risk was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.24-2.45), indicating no significant association.
Conclusions:
- The study supports homocysteine as a risk factor for coronary events in women with established heart disease.
- Homocysteine may be a valuable biomarker for predicting cardiovascular events in at-risk women.
Objectives:
To study serum homocysteine concentration for its prediction of major coronary heart disease events amongst women.
Design:
A case-control study nested within a follow-up study. Subjects. A total of 74 and 75 major coronary events (coronary deaths or nonfatal myocardial infarction) which occurred in women with and without known heart disease, respectively, during a 13-year follow-up and two individually matched controls per case. Main outcome measure. Major coronary event.
Results:
Amongst women with baseline heart disease, the relative risk (95% CI) of such events, adjusted for age, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, serum cholesterol and body mass index, was 3.32 (1.05-10.5) in the highest homocysteine quintile compared with the lowest quintile. Amongst women free of heart disease at baseline, the corresponding relative risk value was 0.77 (0.24-2.45).
Conclusions:
This prospective study support the hypothesis that homocysteine is a risk factor for coronary events in women with heart disease.