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David S Wald a Department of Cardiology, Southampton General
Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, b Wolfson
Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts and the London School of
Medicine and Dentistry, London EC1M 6BQ Correspondence to D S Wald
davidwald{at}hotmail.com
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Abstract |
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Objective:
To assess whether the association of serum homocysteine concentration with ischaemic heart disease, deep vein
thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and stroke is causal and, if so, to
quantify the effect of homocysteine reduction in preventing them.
Design:
Meta-analyses of the above three diseases using (a) 72 studies in which the prevalence of a mutation
in the MTHFR gene (which increases homocysteine) was determined in cases (n=16 849) and controls, and (b) 20 prospective
studies (3820 participants) of serum homocysteine and disease risk.
Main outcome measures:
Odds ratios of the three
diseases for a 5 µmol/l increase in serum homocysteine concentration.
Results:
There were significant associations between homocysteine and the three diseases. The odds ratios for a 5 µmol/l increase in serum homocysteine were, for ischaemic heart disease, 1.42 (95% confidence interval 1.11 to 1.84) in the genetic studies and 1.32 (1.19 to 1.45) in the prospective studies; for deep vein thrombosis
with or without pulmonary embolism, 1.60 (1.15 to 2.22) in the genetic
studies (there were no prospective studies); and, for stroke, 1.65 (0.66 to 4.13) in the genetic studies and 1.59 (1.29 to 1.96) in the
prospective studies.
Conclusions:
The genetic studies and the prospective
studies do not share the same potential sources of error, but both
yield similar highly significant results
strong evidence that the
association between homocysteine and cardiovascular disease is causal.
On this basis, lowering homocysteine concentrations by 3 µmol/l from current levels (achievable by increasing folic acid intake) would reduce the risk of ischaemic heart disease by 16% (11% to 20%), deep
vein thrombosis by 25% (8% to 38%), and stroke by 24% (15% to
33%).
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What is already known on this topic
A common single gene mutation that reduces the activity of an enzyme involved in folate metabolism (MTHFR) is associated with a moderate (20%) increase in serum homocysteine What this study adds
A meta-analysis of prospective studies shows a significant association between homocysteine concentration and ischaemic heart disease similar in size to that expected from the results of the MTHFR studies and a significant association with stroke The MTHFR studies and the prospective studies do not share the same
potential sources of error but both yield similar results On this basis a decrease in serum homocysteine of 3 µmol/l (achievable by daily intake of about 0.8 mg folic acid) should reduce the risk of ischaemic heart disease by 16%, deep vein thrombosis by 25%, and stroke by 24% |
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Introduction |
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The serum concentration of the amino acid homocysteine is positively associated with the risk of ischaemic heart disease, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and stroke. 1 2 There is uncertainty over whether these associations are causal. 3 4 Resolving the question of causality is important because serum homocysteine can be lowered by the B vitamin folic acid, 5 6 raising the prospect of a simple and safe means of prevention.
Large increases in serum homocysteine occur in homocystinuria, a rare
autosomal recessive disorder that is associated with a high risk of
premature cardiovascular disease.7 Moderate increases in
serum homocysteine occur as a result of a mutation in the gene coding
for the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) in which
cytosine is replaced by thymidine (C
T). However, because the
increase in homocysteine is relatively small, studies comparing the
risk of cardiovascular disease in people with and without the TT
mutation need large numbers to be able to show any effect. Previous
meta-analyses have had too few studies available to do this.
We present a new meta-analysis of the MTHFR studies (including data
from an additional 34 studies since the previous
meta-analyses),8-10 which has the statistical power to
show an effect. We compare these results with those of a meta-analysis
of prospective studies of serum homocysteine and disease events.
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Methods |
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Identification of studies
We sought two types of study on the association between serum
homocysteine and ischaemic heart disease, deep vein thrombosis with or
without pulmonary embolism, or stroke:
To identify studies, we searched databases (Medline, CINAHL, Embase, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and ClinPSYC) in any language up to October 2001 (see bmj.com). We included 120 studies in total(w1-w120 on bmj.com).
Statistical methods
For each MTHFR study we determined the odds ratio of being
homozygous (TT), and in a separate analysis heterozygous (CT), for the
mutant allele compared with being homozygous for the wild type allele
(CC) in cases and controls.
In the prospective studies we estimated odds ratios for a 5 µmol/l increase in serum homocysteine (a standard reference increment).
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We used a random effects model to derive summary odds ratios from combinations of studies to allow for any heterogeneity across studies. In the prospective studies we adjusted the summary odds ratios for regression dilution bias11; these arose because the serum homocysteine values in each person were from single measurements, which are unrepresentative of a person's long term average value over the period of follow up.
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Results |
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Ischaemic heart disease
Studies of MTHFR mutation
The odds ratios of homozygotes for the mutant allele (TT) compared
with wild type homozygotes (CC) are shown with the studies ranked in
order of increasing effect in fig 1. There was a wide range of
estimates, but the summary odds ratio was 1.21 (95% confidence
interval 1.06 to 1.39; P=0.006), indicating that risk was on average
21% higher in TT homozygotes than in CC homozygotes. The summary odds
ratio for the heterozygous state (CT v CC) was 1.06 (0.99 to
1.13; P=0.09).
Prospective studies of homocysteine and cardiovascular disease
The odds ratios are adjusted for age, sex, smoking, blood
pressure, and serum cholesterol concentration in all the studies except
one, which is adjusted for age and sex only. The summary odds ratio of
16 prospective studies on ischaemic heart disease was 1.23 (1.14 to
1.32) for a 5 µmol/l increase in serum homocysteine concentration
(fig 2), or 1.32 (1.19 to 1.45) adjusted for regression dilution bias.
There was a suggestion of a trend across the prospective studies for a
decreasing odds ratio with increasing age at the time of the event
(P=0.07), as has been observed for other cardiovascular risk factors
(smoking, serum cholesterol, and blood pressure).
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Deep vein thrombosis
Fig 3 shows the results of the 26 MTHFR studies of deep vein
thrombosis (3439 cases, mean age at event 44 years). The summary odds
ratio for homozygotes for the mutant allele (TT) compared with wild
type homozygotes (CC) was 1.29 (1.08 to 1.54; P=0.007), equivalent to
an odds ratio of 1.60 (1.15 to 2.22) for a 5 µmol/l increase in serum
homocysteine concentration. The summary odds ratio associated with the
heterozygous state (CT v CC) was 1.05 (0.94 to 1.19;
P=0.41).
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There were no published prospective studies.
Stroke
The seven MTHFR studies of stroke (1217 cases, mean age at event
63 years) yielded relatively few data, so the confidence interval for
the summary result was wide: the odds ratio for homozygotes for the
mutation (TT) compared with wild type homozygotes was 1.31 (0.80 to
2.15), equivalent to an odds ratio of 1.65 (0.66 to 4.13) for a 5 µmol/l increase in serum homocysteine. The summary odds ratio
associated with the heterozygous state (CT v CC) was 1.15 (0.93 to 1.42).
The summary odds ratio of the eight prospective studies for a serum homocysteine increase of 5 µmol/l was 1.42 (1.21 to 1.66) (fig 2), or 1.59 (1.29 to 1.96) adjusted for regression dilution bias. The results are adjusted for age, sex, smoking, blood pressure, and serum cholesterol in all the studies.
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Discussion |
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The MTHFR studies show highly significant associations between serum homocysteine concentration and ischaemic heart disease and deep vein thrombosis. Previous meta-analyses of the MTHFR studies failed to show an effect because they lacked statistical power, but their confidence intervals were consistent with the significant estimates we present here. 8-10 13 Our analyses combine data from an extra 23 studies on ischaemic heart disease and an extra 11 studies on deep vein thrombosis since the largest previous meta-analyses. 9 13
Interpretation of evidence for causality
The results of the MTHFR and the prospective studies can be
explained in one of two ways
a direct (or causal) explanation or an
indirect (non-causal) explanation. An indirect explanation would depend
on the MTHFR and prospective studies both showing associations with
homocysteine through confounding. In the MTHFR studies the difference
in homocysteine concentration arises from a single gene mutation
effectively allocated at random. There is therefore no basis for
expecting that people with the mutant gene would systematically differ
from those without it in other cardiovascular risk factors (smoking,
blood pressure, serum cholesterol concentration), and the data show
that they do not. Genetic confounding is theoretically possible,
whereby a gene linked to the MTHFR gene controls some unknown risk
factor and coincidentally increases serum homocysteine
concentration.
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In the prospective studies confounding from smoking, blood pressure,
and serum cholesterol was allowed for; if there were any remaining
confounding it would also be from an unknown factor associated with
both serum homocysteine and cardiovascular disease. Importantly, the
genetic linkage that one would have to postulate to explain the
association with cardiovascular disease in the MTHFR studies could not
account for the association in the prospective studies
because the
increase in risk of about a quarter with the MTHFR variant is so much
smaller than the twofold difference in risk (10th to 90th centile) in
the prospective studies. The indirect explanation relies on a complex
and improbable series of different associations that coincidentally
yield similar cardiovascular disease risks for a given difference in
serum homocysteine concentration. The direct (causal) explanation is
plausible and much simpler.
Substantial publication bias is unlikely because many of the individual study results were not statistically significant, and many of these were interpreted by their authors as being negative. A standard statistical assessment of publication bias (the regression asymmetry test14) showed no basis for concern in either the ischaemic heart disease studies (P=0.55) or the deep vein thrombosis studies (P=0.43).
Evidence of risk reduction
A placebo controlled randomised trial of treatment with B vitamins
(folic acid, B-6, and B-12) to lower serum homocysteine concentration
in patients with ischaemic heart disease has shown a rapid reduction of
risk.15 Studies of patients with homocystinuria treated
with B vitamins have also shown reduction in
risk.
7 16
The table summarises the odds ratios of ischaemic heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, and stroke for the standard 5 µmol/l increase in homocysteine concentration and shows combined odds ratios from the two types of study. For ischaemic heart disease this was 1.33 (95% confidence interval 1.22 to 1.46), and for stroke it was 1.59 (1.30 to 1.95). The table also converts the odds ratios for a 5 µmol/l increase in homocysteine concentration into odds ratios for a 3 µmol/l decrease in homocysteine (the maximal effect of folic acid, achieved with a daily dose of about 0.8 mg). 5 6 On the basis that the association is causal and reversible, we estimate that folic acid could reduce the risk of ischaemic heart disease by 16%, deep vein thrombosis by 25%, and stroke by 24%. The folic acid could be taken as tablets by high risk patients, and possibly supplied to the general public through food fortification or a combination of both.
Conclusion
Our results strengthen the evidence that a raised serum
homocysteine concentration is a cause of cardiovascular disease. Our
conclusion rests on the following observations. (1) The genetic (MTHFR)
studies show a moderate increase in risk for a moderate increase in
serum homocysteine; genetic linkage to some unknown risk factor might
be the explanation, although no such linkage is known. (2) The
prospective studies show an association between serum homocysteine and
cardiovascular disease after allowance for confounding. (3) These two
types of study are susceptible to different sources of error but show
quantitatively similar associations, a result that is unlikely to have
occurred through different potential sources of confounding acting
independently. (4) The homocystinurias cause high serum homocysteine
levels and high risks of premature cardiovascular disease. (5) Lowering
serum homocysteine reduced risk, both in a randomised trial in patients with heart disease and in patients with homocystinuria.
In the light of these five observations we could not have concluded otherwise.
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Acknowledgments |
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We thank Nicholas Wald for his suggestions throughout this project and for his comments on the manuscript. DSW also holds an honorary research fellowship at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Contributors: See bmj.com
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Footnotes |
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Funding: None.
Competing interests: None declared.
This is an abridged version; the
full version is on bmj.com
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References |
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(Accepted 12 August 2002)
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