Recent publications on Residual Risk

Hyperhomocysteinaemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, although the underlying mechanism is not clear. Previous reports have suggested an association between hyperlipidaemia and hyperhomocysteinaemia. According to this report from the Very Large Database of Lipids, however, elevated plasma levels of homocysteine were not associated with an atherogenic lipid profile. The study included data from 18,297 U.S. adults with lipid measurements (triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, non-HDL-C, very low-density lipoprotein and remnant-lipoprotein cholesterol). For subjects in the highest homocysteine quartile, levels of LDL-C, non-HDL-C and HDL-C (p<0.001) were 7-10% lower, and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins were 2-6% higher, in unadjusted analyses. However, these associations were abolished after adjusting for age, sex, HbA1c, insulin, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen.