Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jul;11(7):e02205.
doi: 10.1002/brb3.2205. Epub 2021 May 24.

Association between homocysteine and white matter hyperintensities in rural-dwelling Chinese people with asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis: A population-based study

Xiang Wang  1 , Hao Yin  2 , Xiaokang Ji  3 , Shaowei Sang  4 , Sai Shao  5 , Guangbin Wang  5 , Ming Lv  4 , Fuzhong Xue  3 , Yifeng Du  1 , Qinjian Sun  1
Affiliations

Association between homocysteine and white matter hyperintensities in rural-dwelling Chinese people with asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis: A population-based study

Xiang Wang et al. Brain Behav. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: Although homocysteine (Hcy) has been proven to be associated with the incidence of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in patients with stroke, this association remains unclear in participants with asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis (aICAS). This study aimed to investigate the association of Hcy with WMH in participants with aICAS.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study based on the Kongcun Town Study. Participants diagnosed with aICAS by magnetic resonance angiography in the Kongcun Town Study were enrolled in this study. Data on demographics, lifestyle, medical histories, and Hcy levels were collected via interviews, clinical examinations, and laboratory tests. The volume of WMH was calculated using the lesion segmentation tool system for the Statistical Parametric Mapping package based on magnetic resonance imaging. The association between Hcy and WMH volume was analyzed using linear and logistic regression analyses.

Results: A total of 137 aICAS participants were enrolled in the present study. Hcy was associated with the incidence of severe WMH (4th quartile, ≥4.20 ml) after adjustment for certain covariates [Hcy as a continuous variable, odds ratio (95% confidence interval) (OR (95% CI)): 1.09 (1.00, 1.19), p = .047; as a categorical variable (Hcy ≥15 μmol/L), OR (95% CI): 3.74 (1.37, 10.19), p = .010)]. After stratification according to the degree of aICAS, this relationship remained significant only in the moderate-to-severe stenosis group (stenosis ≥50%). (Hcy as continuous variable, OR (95% CI): 1.14 (1.02, 1.27), p = .025; as a categorical variable (Hcy ≥15 μmol/L), OR (95% CI): 5.59 (1.40, 15.25), p = .015).

Conclusion: Serum Hcy concentration may be positively associated with the volume of WMH in rural-dwelling Chinese people with moderate-to-severe (stenosis ≥50%) aICAS.

Keywords: arteriosclerosis; asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis; homocysteine; population-based study; white matter hyperintensities.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
​Flowchart of the measurement of white matter hyperintensities volume using lesion segmentation tool auto‐calculation system
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Anan, F. , Masaki, T. , Tatsukawa, H. , Nagano, S. , Oribe, M. , Eshima, N. , Saikawa, T. , & Yoshimatsu, H. (2009). The role of homocysteine as a significant risk factor for white matter lesions in Japanese women with rheumatoid arthritis. Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, 58, 69–73. 10.1016/j.metabol.2008.08.008 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chen, C. , Halkos, M. E. , Surowiec, S. M. , Conklin, B. S. , Lin, P. H. , & Lumsden, A. B. (2000). Effects of homocysteine on smooth muscle cell proliferation in both cell culture and artery perfusion culture models. The Journal of Surgical Research, 88, 26–33. 10.1006/jsre.1999.5756 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Conijn, M. M. A. , Kloppenborg, R. P. , Algra, A. , Mali, W. P. T. M. , Kappelle, L. J. , Vincken, K. L. , van der Graaf, Y. , & Geerlings, M. I. (2011). Cerebral small vessel disease and risk of death, ischemic stroke, and cardiac complications in patients with atherosclerotic disease: The Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease‐Magnetic Resonance (SMART‐MR) study. Stroke, 42, 3105–3109. 10.1161/STROKEAHA.110.594853 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Doubal, F. N. , MacLullich, A. M. J. , Ferguson, K. J. , Dennis, M. S. , & Wardlaw, J. M. (2010). Enlarged perivascular spaces on MRI are a feature of cerebral small vessel disease. Stroke, 41, 450–454. 10.1161/STROKEAHA.109.564914 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Feldmann, E. , Wilterdink, J. L. , Kosinski, A. , Lynn, M. , Chimowitz, M. I. , Sarafin, J. , Smith, H. H. , Nichols, F. , Rogg, J. , Cloft, H. J. , Wechsler, L. , Saver, J. , Levine, S. R. , Tegeler, C. , Adams, R. , & Sloan, M. (2007). The stroke outcomes and neuroimaging of intracranial atherosclerosis (SONIA) trial. Neurology, 68, 2099–2106. 10.1212/01.wnl.0000261488.05906.c1 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources