Total homocysteine is associated with white matter hyperintensity volume: the Northern Manhattan Study.

BACKGROUND Total homocysteine (tHcy) has been implicated as a risk factor for stroke and dementia, but the mechanism is unclear. White matter hyperintensities may be a risk factor for both, but studies of the relationship between tHcy and quantitative measures of white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) are lacking, especially in minority populations. METHODS A community-based sample of 259 subjects with baseline tHcy levels underwent pixel-based quantitative measurement of WMHV. We examined the relationship between tHcy and WMHV adjusting for age, sociodemographics, vascular risk factors, and B12 deficiency. RESULTS Higher levels of tHcy were associated with WMHV adjusting for sociodemographics and vascular risk factors. CONCLUSIONS These cross-sectional data provide evidence that tHcy is a risk factor for white matter damage.