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Plasma homocysteine and coronary artery calcification in Korean men

Byung Jin Kim1, Bum Soo Kim2, Jin Ho Kang2

  • 1Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea bjjake.kim@samsung.com.

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
|February 1, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Elevated plasma homocysteine levels are linked to coronary artery calcification (CAC) in Korean men. Higher homocysteine concentrations indicate an increased risk of developing CAC, suggesting its potential as a predictive marker.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Biochemistry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Homocysteine is an established risk factor for atherosclerosis.
  • Oxidative stress and inflammation can promote vascular smooth muscle cell osteogenic differentiation, leading to coronary artery calcification (CAC).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and the presence of coronary artery calcification (CAC).

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 21,235 Korean men from the Kangbuk Samsung Health Study (2010-2011) had plasma homocysteine levels and coronary artery calcium scores (CACSs) measured.
  • Participants were stratified into quartiles based on plasma homocysteine concentrations.

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of CAC was 13.5% across the cohort.
  • A positive trend was observed between increasing homocysteine quartiles and CAC prevalence (p for trend = 0.009).
  • Higher plasma homocysteine concentrations were independently associated with an increased odds ratio for CAC presence (OR = 1.399) and higher CACS (standardized β = 0.040).

Conclusions:

  • Plasma homocysteine is independently associated with coronary artery calcification in Korean men.
  • Elevated homocysteine levels may serve as a valuable biomarker for predicting coronary artery calcification.
Abstract

Keywords:
Homocysteinecardiovascular riskcoronary artery calcificationcoronary calcium

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