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Hyperhomocysteinaemia as a potential marker of early renal function decline in middle-aged Asian people without chronic kidney disease

  • Nephrology - Original Paper
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

High levels of serum total homocysteine (tHcy), often observed in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the relationship between tHcy and renal function in healthy individuals. We examined whether tHcy levels are related to renal function in Asian individuals without CKD.

Methods

This cross-sectional study examined 2032 subjects, aged 40–64 years. Individuals with kidney diseases or other conditions that could affect tHcy were excluded. Renal function was determined by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from levels of serum creatinine (sCr) and cystatin C.

Results

Age, tHcy, sCr, and cystatin C of the subjects were 54.1 ± 6.0 years, 9.5 (8.0–11.4) μmol/L, 0.81 ± 0.1 mg/dL, and 0.82 ± 0.1 mg/L, respectively. In a multiple linear regression analysis, tHcy was a significant independent determinant of sCr and cystatin C in men (β = 0.206 and β = 0.282, respectively) and women (β = 0.247 and β = 0.229, respectively). Highest tHcy levels were independently associated with increased cystatin C (>s1.10 mg/L) with an odds ratio (OR) of 5.00 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.81–8.09] and decreased eGFR (<90 mL/min/1.73 m2) with an OR of 1.69 (95 % CI 1.36–2.11) compared to tHcy levels in the 1st–3rd quartiles.

Conclusions

Higher levels of tHcy are independently associated with sCr and cystatin C elevation. Our study suggests that tHcy levels may be influenced by renal function in Asian populations without CKD. Future studies are needed to define the role of tHcy in renal function.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Young Jin Tak, Yun Jin Kim & Jeong Gyu Lee

  2. Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Young Jin Tak, Yun Jin Kim & Jeong Gyu Lee

  3. Department of Family Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea

    Dong Wook Jeong

  4. Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Republic of Korea

    Dong Wook Jeong

  5. Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea

    Dong Wook Jeong & Yang Ho Kang

  6. Medical Education Unit, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Republic of Korea

    Sang Yeoup Lee

  7. Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Sang Heon Song

  8. Department of Cardiology and Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Kwang Soo Cha

  9. Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Republic of Korea

    Yang Ho Kang

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  1. Young Jin Tak
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Correspondence to Dong Wook Jeong.

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Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Pusan National University Hospital (IRB No. E-2014153).

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Tak, Y.J., Jeong, D.W., Kim, Y.J. et al. Hyperhomocysteinaemia as a potential marker of early renal function decline in middle-aged Asian people without chronic kidney disease. Int Urol Nephrol 48, 239–248 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-015-1180-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-015-1180-0

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