title: Homocysteine and carotid intima-media thickness in a german population: lack of clinical relevance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA IMT) is a predictor of stroke. This study aimed to analyze whether homocysteine (Hcys) metabolism influences CCA IMT.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the association of personal, clinical, and biochemical data (multivariate analysis) and of 9 polymorphisms involved in Hcys metabolism (ANOVA) with CCA IMT in 714 individuals of 187 families.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CCA IMT was significantly predicted by age, sex, creatinine levels, lipoprotein(a) levels, pack-years of smoking, the presence of hypertension, and the presence of diabetes mellitus but not by Hcys levels. Homozygosity for the T allele of the polymorphism methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase c.677C>T was significantly associated with higher Hcys levels but not with a higher CCA IMT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data do not support the thesis that elevated Hcys levels are causally involved in cerebrovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. Michael.Linnebank@ukb.uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Linnebank
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moskau
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farmand
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fliessbach
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kölsch
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bös
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grothe
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Harbrecht
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pohl
authors.forename: Ullrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wüllner
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klockgether
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine