Associations between hyperhomocysteinemia and the presence and severity of acute coronary syndrome in young adults ≤ 35 years of age

Predictive value of peripheral neutrophil count on admission for young patients with acute coronary syndrome

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to explore the relationship between neutrophil count on admission and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) during hospitalization in young ACS patients, which have rarely been investigated in previous studies.

METHODS

This study included 400 young ACS patients (<45 years old) who underwent coronary angiography. According to the median neutrophil count at admission, the patients were divided into two groups. The relationship between neutrophil count and MACCE and LVEF during hospitalization was analyzed by regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the Youden index was used to determine the optimal cut-off value of neutrophil count.

RESULTS

Neutrophil count at admission was an independent risk factor of in-hospital MACCE (OR: 1.33, 95 % CI: 1.13-1.56, P<0.001) and LVEF <50 % (OR: 1.28, 95 % CI: 1.12-1.47, P<0.001) in young ACS patients.The cutoff value of neutrophil count for predicting the occurrence of in-hospital MACCE was 6.935 × 10^9/L with a sensitivity of 92.1 %, specificity of 59.4 %, and AUC is 0.820 (95 % CI: 0.7587-0.8804, P<0.001), and for identifying the LVEF <50 % was 8.660 × 10^9/L with a sensitivity of 69.8 %, specificity of 76.8 %, and AUC is 0.775 (95 % CI: 0.6997-0.8505, P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The neutrophil count upon admission is an independent predictor of in-hospital MACCE and LVEF in young ACS patients, giving important information for predicting the poor prognosis of young ACS patients.

Factors Related to Plasma Homocysteine Concentration in Young Adults: A Retrospective Study Based on Checkup Populations

The distribution profile of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) in young adults and its related factors are not well understood. We performed a generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis for plasma-Hcy-correlated factors in 2436 young adults, aged 20-39 years, from a health checkup population. We observed that the mean Hcy concentration in males (16.7 ± 10.3 μmol/L) was significantly higher than that in females (10.3 ± 4.0 μmol/L), and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) prevalence in males was 5.37 times than that in females (33.3% vs. 6.2%). A GEE analysis stratified by sex indicated that age (B = -0.398, p < 0.001) and LDL-C (B = -1.602, p = 0.043) were negatively correlated, while BMI (B = 0.400, p = 0.042) was positively correlated, with the Hcy level in young males. ALT (B = -0.021, p = 0.033), LDL-C (B = -1.198, p < 0.001) and Glu (B = -0.446, p = 0.006) were negatively correlated, while AST (B = 0.022, p = 0.048), CREA (B = 0.035, p < 0.001), UA (B = 0.004, p = 0.003) and TG (B = 1.042, p < 0.001) were positively correlated, with the Hcy level in young females. These results suggest that young males have a significantly higher plasma Hcy level and HHcy prevalence than young females; therefore, more attention should be paid to the reason for and effect of the higher HHcy prevalence in young males.

The relationship between homocysteine and cardiopulmonary exercise testing in patients with acute coronary syndrome after percutaneous coronary intervention

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between homocysteine (Hcy) levels and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We also explored the relationship between Hcy levels and cardiac ultrasonography.

METHODS

This study comprised 261 patients with ACS who underwent coronary angiography and PCI at Yulin First Hospital from January 2020 to June 2021. All subjects completed basic data collection, laboratory examination, CPET and cardiac ultrasonography. The CPET includes the peak oxygen uptake (peak VO₂), anaerobic threshold (AT), metabolic equivalents (METs), exercise load (load), oxygen pulse (O₂ pulse), end-tidal CO₂ partial pressure (PETCO₂), ventilatory equivalents for carbon dioxide (VE/VCO₂) and Oxygen uptake efficiency (OUES). Cardiac ultrasonography was used to evaluate the left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD), interventricular septal thickness (IVST), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPWT) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). A serum Hcy level ≥ 15 µmol/L was defined as hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy). The patients were divided into the Hcy < 15 µmol/L group (n = 189) and the Hcy ≥ 15 µmol/L group (n = 72).

RESULTS

The average age of the participating patients was 58.9 ± 10.1 years. The majority of participants were male (86.6%). The CPET indices of METs, load, VO₂/kg, and PETCO₂ were significantly decreased in the Hcy ≥ 15 µmol/L group compared with the Hcy < 15 µmol/L group. Additionally, the CPET index of the VE/VCO₂ slope and the cardiac ultrasonography indices of IVST and LVPWT were significantly increased in the Hcy ≥ 15 µmol/L group compared with the Hcy < 15 µmol/L group. These differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that Hcy levels were negatively correlated with METs, VO₂/kg and PETCO₂ and positively correlated with the VE/VCO₂ slope (P < 0.05). Partial correlation analysis showed that Hcy levels were negatively correlated with METs and VO₂/kg in the AT state. The correlation coefficients were - 0.172 and - 0.172, respectively (P < 0.05). Hcy levels were negatively correlated with METs, VO₂/kg and PETCO₂ in the peak state. The correlation coefficients were - 0.177, -0.153 and - 0.129, respectively (P < 0.05). After further adjustment for confounders, multiple linear regression analysis showed that Hcy levels were negatively correlated with METs and VO₂/kg in the AT state and peak state. The standardized regression coefficients were - 0.035, -0.122, -0.048 and - 0.128, respectively (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that Hcy levels were positively correlated with the IVST and LVPWT (P < 0.05), but after adjusting for confounding factors, partial correlation analysis showed that there was no correlation between them.

CONCLUSION

A high Hcy level is associated with lower METs and VO₂/kg and worse cardiopulmonary function in patients with ACS after PCI.

Risk factors of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in young and middle-aged adults: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in young and middle-aged people have not yet been determined. We conducted a meta-analysis to find the risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, in order to provide guidance for the prevention of diseases in the young and middle-aged population.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library from the establishment of the database to Mar 2022. We included case-control or cohort studies reporting risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in young and middle-aged adults. We excluded repeated publication, research without full text, incomplete information or inability to conduct data extraction and animal experiments, reviews and systematic reviews. STATA 15.1 was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The pooled results indicated that increased systolic blood pressure was significantly associated with increased risk of any stroke, ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. Body Mass Index (BMI), current smoking, hypertension, and diabetes were significantly associated with increased risk of any stroke and ischemic stroke. Atrial fibrillation was only significantly associated with increased risk of any stroke. Increased total cholesterol was significantly associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, whereas increased triglycerides were significantly associated with a decreased risk of ischemic stroke. In addition, increased hypertension was also significantly associated with an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome.

CONCLUSION

Our pooled results show that BMI, current smoking, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, systolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol can be used as risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in young people, while triglycerides can be used as protective factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in young and middle-aged adults.

Comparison of clinical profiles and associated factors for acute myocardial infarction among young and very young patients with coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to compare the profiles of young and very young patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and explore the factors associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) based on age.

METHODS

Young CAD patients aged between 18 and 44 years diagnosed by angiography were enrolled retrospectively. They were divided into two groups according to age: young CAD was defined as patients aged between 36 and 44 years, and very young CAD was defined as patients aged between 18 and 35 years. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were collected.

RESULTS

In total, 9286 patients were included in the final database. Most were assigned to the young CAD group (86.5%), and 1250 (13.5%) had very young CAD. Most demographic and clinical characteristics of the young and very young patients with CAD differed significantly. The proportion of patients with CAD in the total population increased with age, whereas the incidence of AMI showed a decreasing trend. A previous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was negatively associated with AMI. Dyslipidemia, current smoking, and hyperhomocysteinemia were positively associated with AMI in the overall and young population with CAD.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical profiles and factors associated with AMI in CAD patients of different ages were significantly different. Lifestyle-related factors were significantly associated with AMI in young patients with CAD.

Homocysteine metabolism as the target for predictive medical approach, disease prevention, prognosis, and treatments tailored to the person

Homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism is crucial for regulating methionine availability, protein homeostasis, and DNA-methylation presenting, therefore, key pathways in post-genomic and epigenetic regulation mechanisms. Consequently, impaired Hcy metabolism leading to elevated concentrations of Hcy in the blood plasma (hyperhomocysteinemia) is linked to the overproduction of free radicals, induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial impairments, systemic inflammation and increased risks of eye disorders, coronary artery diseases, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, thrombotic events, cancer development and progression, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative disorders, pregnancy complications, delayed healing processes, and poor COVID-19 outcomes, among others. This review focuses on the homocysteine metabolism impairments relevant for various pathological conditions. Innovative strategies in the framework of 3P medicine consider Hcy metabolic pathways as the specific target for in vitro diagnostics, predictive medical approaches, cost-effective preventive measures, and optimized treatments tailored to the individualized patient profiles in primary, secondary, and tertiary care.

Combined effect of hyperhomocysteinemia and smoking on the severity of coronary artery disease in young adults ≤ 35 years of age: a hospital-based observational study

Background

The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to increase among young Chinese adults. Current smoking has been recognized as a major risk factor for premature CAD, and hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy) has also been suggested to be associated with CAD progression. However, the combined effect of current smoking and HHcy on the severity of coronary artery stenosis in young adults is still uncertain.

Methods

We consecutively collected young patients (18–35 years of age), diagnosed with CAD and underwent coronary angiography (CAG) at Anzhen Hospital between January 2013 and May 2020. HHcy was defined as serum homocysteine (Hcy) level > 15 µmol/L. The severity of coronary artery stenosis was evaluated by Gensini Score. The co-effect of current smoking and HHcy on CAD severity as well as the relationship between plasma Hcy, pack-years of smoking and CAD severity were assessed by multivariate linear regression analysis.

Results

A total of 989 participants (mean age, 33 years; 96.2% male) fulfilling the criteria were enrolled in this study. Patients with both HHcy and current smoking accounted for 39.1% of all the subjects. Multivariate liner analysis indicated both serum Hcy levels (β 0.302; 95% CI 0.141–0.462; P < 0.001) and pack-years of smoking (β 0.523; 95% CI 0.265–0.781; P < 0.001) were independently associated with the severity of coronary artery stenosis after adjusting for other traditional confounders. In addition, serum Hcy levels were correlated with pack-years of smoking in young CAD patients (r = 0.116, P = 0.001). Moreover, combination of HHcy and current smoking was suggested to have higher risk for CAD severity (β 17.892; 95% CI 11.314–24.469; P < 0.001), compared with HHcy (β 7.471; 95% CI 0.009–14.934; P = 0.048) or current smoking (β 7.421; 95% CI 0.608–14.233; P = 0.033) alone.

Conclusion

Combination of HHcy and smoking is independently associated with the severity of CAD in young patients ≤ 35 years of age.