Plasma total homocysteine concentration and the risk of acute coronary events: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Studytpdel

Objectives. Results from prospective studies concerning the association bet ween plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentration and coronary heart dise ase (CHD) are conflicting. The purpose of this study was to test the hypoth esis that plasma tHcy is associated with an increased risk of acute coronar y events in middle-aged men. Design and subjects, We investigated this association in a prospective nest ed case-control study among Eastern Finnish men aged 42-60 years. Plasma tH cy measurements were carried out for 163 men who had an acute coronary even t during an average 8 years and 11 months follow-up of the whole cohort and for 163 control subjects. Both the cases and the controls were from a coho rt of 2005 men who had no clinical CBD at the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Diseas e (KIHD) baseline. Results. Men in the highest plasma tHcy concentration quarter had no increa se in the risk of coronary events compared with men with lower tHcy concent rations (odds ratio = 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.44-1.76). Average fol low-up time before the first coronary event was 4.9 years (SD 3.2) in men i n the highest plasma tHcy quarter and 5.5 years (SD 3.1) in men in the thre e lowest quarters (P = 0.368). Conclusion We conclude that plasma tHcy is not associated with an increased risk of coronary events in the middle-aged male population in eastern Finl and.