title: Elevated plasma homocysteine levels in centenarians are not associated with cognitive impairment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous reports have shown elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) levels in elderly person with impaired cognition.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the association between cognitive status and plasma tHcy levels in centenarians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Centenarians living in two northern Italian provinces.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirteen cognitively normal centenarians, ten cognitively impaired not-demented centenarians, and 34 demented centenarians with a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood levels of homocysteine's biological determinants vitamin B12, folate, and vitamin B6.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elevated plasma tHcy levels (>17 micromol/l) were common in the general population (77% of normal centenarians, 100% of cognitively impaired not-demented centenarians, 82% of AD centenarians). Demented centenarians had the lowest folate serum levels. Low or borderline vitamin B12 serum levels (<221 pmol/l) and low vitamin B6 plasma levels (<11.7 nmol/l) were found in 33 and 66% of all centenarians independently of cognitive status. Among demented centenarians only plasma tHcy correlated inversely with both serum vitamin B12 and folate. No significant difference was found for plasma tHcy levels among the three diagnostic groups, even after adjusting for B vitamin levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hyperhomocysteinemia is very common among centenarians, probably due to vitamin deficiencies, but does not seem to be associated with cognitive impairment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Cardioangiology, and Hepatology, University Hospital S. Orsola-Malpighi, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. ravaglia@almadns.unibo.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ravaglia
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Forti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maioli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vettori
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grossi
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bargossi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caldarera
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franceschi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Facchini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cavalli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000097:blood; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D006306:Health Surveys; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011736:Pyridoxine / Q000097:blood; D012016:Reference Values; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D005492:Folic Acid; D011736:Pyridoxine; D014805:Vitamin B 12