High Levels of Blood Protein Tied to Heart Failure

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High Levels of Blood Protein Tied to Heart Failure By Jacqueline Stenson

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine may

raise an older person's risk of developing heart failure, new study findings

suggest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous research has linked homocysteine with heart attacks and strokes, but

the new report is the first to find that elevated levels may contribute to heart

failure.

 

The study, published in the March 12th issue of the Journal of the American

Medical Association (news - web sites), involved almost 2,500 men and women with

an average age of 72 who were participating in the ongoing Framingham Heart

Study.

 

At the time their blood levels of homocysteine were measured, none of the

participants had heart failure or had previously sustained a heart attack. They

were then followed for eight years, during which time 156 developed heart

failure.

 

Results showed that high homocysteine levels were associated with a risk of

heart failure in both men and women.

 

" Individuals who had (blood) homocysteine levels in the top half had about a

doubling in risk of heart failure in the eight-year follow-up period than people

in the lower half, " said study author Dr. Ramachandran Vasan, an associate

professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine in Massachusetts.

 

The association between homocysteine and heart failure appeared to be more

consistent in women than men, Vasan and colleagues report.

 

Nearly 5 million Americans have congestive heart failure, according to the

American Heart Association (news - web sites) (AHA). It is a chronic condition

in which the heart becomes enlarged and loses its ability to pump blood

efficiently. Patients become fatigued and retain fluid, often leading to

swelling of the legs and congestion in the lungs that causes shortness of

breath.

 

It's not clear precisely how homocysteine might contribute to heart failure,

Vasan said, and there may be several mechanisms. " Heart cells are especially

susceptible to homocysteine injury, " he told Reuters Health.

 

The AHA does not recommend routine testing of the general population for

homocysteine levels, stating that a causal link to cardiovascular problems has

not been firmly established.

 

And while there is not strong evidence to suggest that lowering homocysteine

levels is beneficial, the group says that people at high risk should be sure to

get enough folic acid, from foods such as leafy greens and fortified breakfast

cereals, as well as two other B vitamins--6 and 12.

 

These vitamins are known to aid the breakdown of homocysteine in the body.

 

SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association 2003;289:1251-1257.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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