Relations of plasma homocysteine to left ventricular structure and function: the Framingham Heart Study.
OBJECTIVE
Hyperhomocysteinaemia is a risk factor for congestive heart failure, especially in women. We investigated if homocysteine promotes left ventricular (LV) remodelling.


RESULTS
We examined cross-sectional relations of plasma total homocysteine to echocardiographic LV structure and function in 2697 Framingham Heart Study participants (mean age 58 years, 58% women) free of heart failure and previous myocardial infarction. Adjusting for age and height, plasma homocysteine was positively related to LV mass, wall thickness, and relative wall thickness in women (p=0.0004-0.04), but not in men (p=0.28-0.68). Adjusting additionally for other clinical covariates, the relations of plasma homocysteine to LV mass and wall thickness in women remained statistically significant, but the relation to relative wall thickness became of borderline significance (1.92 g, 0.01 cm, and 0.29% increase, respectively, for a 1-SD increase in ln[homocysteine], p=0.01-0.08). LV mass and wall thickness were higher in the fourth quartile of plasma homocysteine compared to the lower three in all models in women (p=0.0003-0.02), but not in men (p=0.25-0.78). Plasma homocysteine was not related to left atrial size or LV fractional shortening in either sex.


CONCLUSIONS
In our community-based sample, plasma homocysteine was directly related to LV mass and wall thickness in women but not in men.
Sundström
Johan
J
The Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA, USA.
Sullivan
Lisa
L
Selhub
Jacob
J
Benjamin
Emelia J
EJ
D'Agostino
Ralph B
RB
Jacques
Paul F
PF
Rosenberg
Irwin H
IH
Levy
Daniel
D
Wilson
Peter W F
PW
Vasan
Ramachandran S
RS
D002306:Cardiac Volume / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D020138:Hyperhomocysteinemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling
D006710:Homocysteine