Hyperhomocysteinaemia is an independent risk factor of abdominal aortic aneurysm in a Chinese Han population.

The associations between hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism, and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) remain controversial, with only few studies focused on these associations within the Chinese population. We performed subgroup and interaction analyses in a Chinese Han population to investigate these associations. In all, 155 AAA patients and 310 control subjects were evaluated for serum total homocysteine levels and MTHFR C677T polymorphisms. Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the aforementioned associations. Interaction and stratified analyses were conducted according to age, sex, smoking status, drinking status, and chronic disease histories. The multiple logistic analyses showed a significant association between HHcy and AAA but no significant association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and AAA. The interaction analysis showed that age and peripheral arterial disease played an interactive role in the association between HHcy and AAA, while drinking status played an interactive role in the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and AAA. In conclusion, HHcy is an independent risk factor of AAA in a Chinese Han population, especially in the elderly and peripheral arterial disease subgroups. Longitudinal studies and clinical trials aimed to reduce homocysteine levels are warranted to assess the causal nature of these relationships.

[A matched case-control study of risk factors in abdominal aortic aneurysm].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential influence factors of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). METHODS: A 1:2 pair-matched, case-control study was conducted from July 2011 to December 2012. A pair was composed of one AAA patient recruited from the Vascular Surgery Department, Chinese PLA General Hospital and two gender- and age-matched non-AAA subjects, one from the same hospital and the other from the community in Fangshan District in Beijing. Demographic data, medical history and the lifestyle of each subject were collected. Moreover, all the participants underwent abdominal ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) and peripheral venous blood samples were obtained. RESULTS: There were 155 case/control pairs. The multivariate conditional logistic regression model confirmed that suffering from hypertension conferred a 1.98-fold (95%CI 1.12-3.18) increased likelihood of AAA. Smoking was a strong independent risk factor of AAA, with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 5.23 (2.44-11.23). Dyslipidemia (OR=2.61,95% CI 1.45-4.70), a higher level of serum hsCRP (OR=2.43,95%CI 1.37-4.31) and homocysteine (OR=2.73,95% CI 1.61-4.65) were all associated with AAA. CONCLUSION: Hypertension and smoking are the risk factors of AAA. Dyslipidemia, hsCRP and Hcy are associated with AAA.