Plasma level of homocysteine is correlated to extracranial carotid-artery atherosclerosis in non-hypertensive Japanese

Background Results of some epidemiologic studies in Western countries have clarified that hyperhomocysteinemia is a plausible risk factor for atherosc lerotic vascular disease, but its role in Japanese communities is not known . Design A community-based cross-sectional design, Methods We performed a cross-sectional study of 474 elderly men aged 60-74 years in two Japanese rural communities (Noichi in southwestern Japan and I kawa in northeastern Japan). We examined the association between plasma con centrations of homocysteine and the maximum intima-media thickness (assesse d by ultrasonography). Results The prevalence of thickening was 10.7% for the lowest tertile of ho mocysteine level and 21.1% for the highest tertile, For the subjects withou t hypertension, the odds ratio for having carotid intima-media thickening w as 5.8; it was significantly higher for the highest tertile of homocysteine level than it was for the lowest after adjusting for age, hypercholesterol emia, hypoalphalipoproteinemia, diabetes, and smoking by using a multiple l ogistic regression model. However, its correlation was not evident for thos e with hypertension. Conclusions High levels of plasma homocysteine are correlated to extracrani al carotid artery atherosclerosis in elderly men without hypertension in Ja panese rural communities, (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.