Homocysteine-lowering is not a primary target for cardiovascular disease prevention in chronic kidney disease patients

Abstract

The homocysteine (Hcy) theory states that total homocysteine (tHcy) is a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most frequent causes of hyperhomocysteinemia in the presence of high prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, there is not yet any conclusive answer to the question whether Hcy may contribute to, or predict, cardiovascular events or mortality in CKD patients or whether it is just an innocent bystander biologically related to other potential risk factors for CVD. Moreover, tHcy levels in CKD are influenced by several commonly occurring confounding factors, such as inflammation and protein-energy wasting (PEW). These factors are also associated with morbidity and mortality and altogether this may explain why Hcy does not show up as a cardiovascular risk but in fact is reversely associated with clinical outcome. Thorough evaluation of such reverse association may not necessarily imply that the principles of Hcy being a contributor to vascular pathophysiology are different in CKD patients but rather indicate that other superimposed factors, such as PEW and inflammation, are more important. These confounders contribute significantly to the unacceptably high mortality rate in this patient population and may require nutritional and anti-inflammatory interventions to improve clinical outcome. So far, the results of recent folic acid intervention trials do not support the use of folic acid supplementation for lowering tHcy and improving survival in CKD patients. Although we are still waiting for the results from several ongoing controlled randomized trials in this area, future studies are needed to evaluate if thiol-exchange agents, besides folic acid, as part of a future multifactorial intervention regime targeting inflammation, PEW, oxidative stress as well as hyperhomocysteinemia may decrease CVD risk in this high-risk patient population.