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Vitamin treatments that lower homocysteine concentration: can they decrease cerebrovascular disease in primary prevention?

J. Méndez-González, E. Rodríguez-Millán, J. Julve, F. Blanco-Vaca [REV NEUROL 2010;50:235-244] PMID: 20198596 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33588/rn.5004.2009081

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Volumen 50 | Number 04 | Nº of views of the article 6.769 | Nº of PDF downloads 868 | Article publication date 16/02/2010

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ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION High plasma homocysteine (Hcy) concentration or hyperhomocysteinemia is associated with an increased vascular risk of disease in case-control studies and, to a lesser extent, in prospective studies. DEVELOPMENT. Several large randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have been already conducted using specific vitamin therapies with the aim of reducing secondary cardiovascular (HOPE, NORVIT, WAFACS and WENBIT studies) and cerebrovascular (VISP study) disease risk. The results from these major secondary prevention trials and one meta-analysis, that included other smaller studies up to 12 of them, showed that treatment decreased plasma Hcy concentration but failed to reduce cardiovascular risk. It is nevertheless noteworthy that a recent meta-analysis addressing the effects of these vitamin treatments on cerebrovascular risk found a positive effect on primary stroke prevention. These data would be consistent with the fact that increased Hcy is known to be associated more strongly with stroke risk than with cardiovascular risk. Moreover, folic acid supplementation in grain food has recently been shown to be associated with a decreased stroke incidence in USA and Canada.

CONCLUSIONS Obviously, these data on primary stroke prevention will require extensive confirmation. However, there now appear to be more reasons to expect a positive outcome of Hcy intervention studies. KeywordsCardiovascular diseases Cerebrovascular diseases Folic acid Hyperhomocysteinemia Vascular diseases Vitamins CategoriesPatología vascular

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Vitamin treatments that lower homocysteine concentration: can they decrease cerebrovascular disease in primary prevention?