Elevated homocysteine and hypertension in Xinjiang Province, China.

BACKGROUND Few data are available comparing homocysteine (Hcy) levels in patients with hypertension in different ethnic groups. OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine whether there are associations of blood pressure and Hcy levels in patients with hypertension from Xinjiang Province, China. METHODS We examined the serum total Hcy levels in a total of 451 Chinese of various ethnic groups (Han n=234 [51.9%], Uygur n=102 [22.6%], Kazak n=61 [13.5%], Hui n=54 [12.0%]) aged 18-78 years. Two groups of subjects were studied: 1) non-hypertensive, n=101; (2) hypertensive, n=350. We investigated the serum Hcy levels relationship with hypertension. RESULTS Hcy levels of Kazak in no hypertension and hypertension patients were highest (11.9 +/- 9.8 vs 19.0 +/- 11.8 umol/L, respectively, unadjusted P=.004, adjusted P=.016). This pattern of higher Hcy values in hypertension patients was consistent across all ethnic groups even after adjustment (all P<0.05). The hypertension risks in the elevated Hcy (>13.9 umol/L) was 3.5 (95% CI, 2.2-5.4) times the normal Hcy (< or = 13.9 umol/L) (P<0.001). Even after adjustment for potential confounders, this difference remained 3.1 times higher (95% CI, 1.9-4.8) (P<.001). Bivariate correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship of Hcy with systolic or diastolic blood pressure across all ethnic groups. CONCLUSION This study confirms the existence of a significant association between hypertension and Hcy in Chinese population groups.