Pierre Gibelin, Stephanie Serre, Mirande Candito, Bakhouche Houcher, Frederic Berthier, Marcel Baudouy
Prognostic value of homocysteinemia in patients with congestive heart failure
Background: Elevated plasma homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk of vascular disease and of congestive heart failure (CHF), with a relationship between homocysteine values and disease severity. Hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for cardiac dysfunction. In this study, the predictive value of elevated homocysteine levels was investigated in the prognosis of ischemic and non-ischemic CHF.
Methods: A total of 159 patients with CHF, 89 with non-ischemic and 70 with ischemic CHF (83% males, mean age 62 years, mean ejection fraction 27%), and 119 controls (79% males, mean age 59.8 years) had fasting blood samples taken to measure plasma homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folate levels. Coronary angiography was performed for all patients. The mean duration of follow-up was 49.6±36.7 months.
Results: As in other studies, the mean level of homocysteinemia was significantly higher in the CHF group (15.80 ?mol/L) than in the control group (10.90?mol/L) (p=0.001) whatever the etiology (non-ischemic, 16.11±6.84 ?mol/L; ischemic, 15.41±6.45?mol/L). This result was observed without vitamin deficiency, but in patients, the mean creatinine value was moderately higher than in controls. We found a positive correlation between plasma homocysteine levels and New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, creatinine and age. Moreover, hyperhomocysteinemia appears to be a powerful predictive factor of mortality in CHF patients (relative risk of death, 4.23; p=0.0003). In the follow-up of this study, 41.5% of patients with homocysteinemia >17 ?mol/L died vs. 21.3% of patients with levels <17 ?mol/L. In multivariate analysis, when homocysteine levels were adjusted for a second parameter (age, NYHA, creatinine, diabetes), the risk of death remained significant after each adjustment.
Conclusions: Elevated homocysteine levels observed in CHF patients, whatever the etiology of their heart disease (ischemic or non-ischemic), were correlated with the severity of the disease. Hyperhomocysteinemia appears to be a predictive factor of mortality in CHF patients.
Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:813–6.
Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1434-6621
Volume: 44, 07/2006
Pages: 813 - 816
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