Korean J Fam Pract. 2018; 8(2): 189-194  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2018.8.2.189
Correlation between Homocysteine Concentration and Carotid Plaque in Korean Healthy Adults
Jong-Hwa Kuk1, Eun-Ki Kim1,*, Young-Jung Kim1, Ho-Joon Lee1, Jun Ko1, Joo-Hwa Park1, Joung-Youn Kim2, Bo-Mi Jeong3
1Department of Family Medicine, Hankook General Hospital; 2Department of Information and Statistics, 3Center of Statistics Analysis, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
Eun-Ki Kim
Tel: +82-43-222-7000, Fax: +82-43-255-7007
E-mail: keunk7268@hanmail.net
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9100-9905
Received: March 13, 2017; Revised: July 13, 2017; Accepted: October 19, 2017; Published online: April 20, 2018.
© The Korean Academy of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: Homocysteine is known to be a risk factor of atherosclerosis and is associated with risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, blood pressure, and smoking. This study was designed to identify the correlation between homocysteine concentration and carotid plaque formation in Korean healthy adults.
Methods: This study included 1,073 adult participants who underwent both a homocysteine study and carotid ultrasonography at a Hankook General Hospital between January 2014 and May 2015. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between homocysteine concentration and carotid plaque formation.
Results: Age, systolic blood pressure, smoking, and waist circumference, but not homocysteine concentration, were significantly associated with carotid plaque formation. A higher prevalence of carotid plaque formation was found in older patients (odds ratio [OR], 1.146; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.114−1.180; P＜0.001), patients with higher systolic blood pressure (OR, 1.037; 95% CI, 1.014–1.061; P=0.001), and higher waist circumference (OR, 1.064; 95% CI, 1.013–1.118; P=0.013). Smokers had a higher prevalence of carotid plaque formation than nonsmokers (OR, 2.392; 95% CI, 1.614–3.547; P＜0.001).
Conclusion: In this study with Korean healthy adults, homocysteine concentration was not associated with carotid plaque formation.
Keywords: Homocysteine; Carotid Stenosis; Atherosclerosis; Smoking
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