title: Serum homocysteine is associated with the severity of primary chronic venous disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to assess whether serum homocysteine concentration was associated with the severity of primary chronic venous disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 282 primary chronic venous disease patients were enrolled from outpatient vascular services. The severity of venous disease was graded using the Clinical Etiology Anatomy Pathophysiology classification system. The association of serum homocysteine concentration with advanced primary chronic venous disease (C4-6) was assessed using the Mann Whitney U test and logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median (interquartile range) serum homocysteine concentrations were 9.10 µM (7.55-10.75) and 10.40 µM (8.85-13.10) in patients with primary chronic venous disease classified by C1-3 (n = 209) and C4-6 (n = 73) grades, respectively, p < 0.001. Serum homocysteine concentration was positively associated with clinical grade 4-6 after adjusting for other risk factors including age, diabetes, male sex, hypertension, recurrent varicose veins and stroke. Patients with serum homocysteine in the third (odds ratio, 2.76, 95% confidence interval, 1.01-7.54) and fourth (odds ratio 3.29, 95% confidence interval 1.15-9.43) quartiles were more likely to have grade C4-6 chronic venous disease than subjects with serum homocysteine in the first quartile.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum homocysteine is positively associated with the severity of primary chronic venous disease and therefore could play a role in promoting chronic venous disease complications.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology Unit, Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Ross K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology Unit, Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, The Townsville Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Quigley
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology Unit, Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tosenovsky
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology Unit, Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, The Townsville Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Velu
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology Unit, Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bradshaw
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology Unit, Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buettner
authors.affiliation: Vascular Biology Unit, Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, The Townsville Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia jonathan.golledge@jcu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Golledge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine
keywords: Venous disease; biological marker; homocysteine