The Association of Plasma Homocysteine Concentrations with a 10-Year Risk of All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in a Community-Based Chinese Population

Abstract

This study is aimed to examine the association of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations with a 10-year risk of all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality and to explore the modification effect of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T genetic polymorphism. This study included 5200 participants from a community-based Chinese population. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to analyze the associations of Hcy and MTHFR C677T genotype with all-cause and CV mortality. The possible modification effect of the MTHFR C677T genotype on the Hcy–mortality relationship was assessed. The individuals with Hcy concentrations ≥ 10 μmol/L had a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality compared to those with Hcy p = 0.015). The risk of CV mortality increased by 2% per 1 μmol/L Hcy increment (HR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00–1.03, p = 0.036). Despite the MTHFR genotype alone not being correlated with the mortality, the relationship between Hcy and all-cause mortality was significant in the CC genotype compared with CT/TT genotype (p for interaction = 0.036). Elevated plasma Hcy concentrations were associated with an increased 10-year risk of all-cause and CV mortality among the Chinese population. MTHFR C677T genetic polymorphism could modify the association between Hcy and all-cause mortality.

Keywords

• homocysteine
• <i>MTHFR C677T</i> genetic polymorphism
• mortality
• cohort study
• epidemiology