title: Associations of plasma homocysteine and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels with arterial stiffness in Chinese population: a community-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Arterial stiffness increases with age and is also associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Little is known about the relations of homocysteine and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) to arterial stiffness in the Chinese community. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of plasma homocysteine and hs-CRP levels with arterial stiffness in a community-based cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  We related levels of homocysteine and hs-CRP to four measures of arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), carotid-radial PWV, carotid-ankle PWV and heart rate corrected augmentation index) in 1680 participants from two communities of Beijing, China. Arterial stiffness was measured within two days of the time of biomarker measurement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In univariate analysis, homocysteine was positively associated with the carotid-femoral PWV (r = 0.211, P < 0.0001), carotid-radial PWV (r = 0.120, P < 0.0001) and carotid-ankle PWV (r = 0.148, P < 0.0001), whereas it was inversely related to the augmentation index (r = -0.052, P = 0.016). Hs-CRP was positively associated with the carotid-femoral PWV (r = 0.074, P = 0.001) and carotid-ankle PWV (r = 0.050, P = 0.02). In multiple-adjusted models (R(2) = 0.57), homocysteine levels remained a significant determinant of the carotid-femoral PWV (standardized β = 0.065, P = 0.007), whereas the association of hs-CRP with measurements of arterial stiffness was not present.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the Chinese population, plasma homocysteine levels are associated with alterations of aortic stiffness, whereas plasma levels of hs-CRP are not independently related to artery stiffening.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Cardiology, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.
authors.forename: Sheng-Qiang
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Lei-Ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Wen-Kai
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Yong-Yi
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: De-Jun
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hong-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ru-Yi
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bai
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D002097:C-Reactive Protein