Background: As elevated total homocyst(e)ine (tHcy) is associated with increased risk of vascular thrombosis, we hypothesized that the elevated levels of tHcy seen in patients on haemodialysis may be associated with an increased risk of thrombosis of native arteriovenous fistulae (vascular access failure). Our study was designed to investigate the relationship between tHcy and vascular access failure. The relationship between tHcy and mortality was explored as a secondary analysis.
Methods: The study comprised a cross-sectional analysis of 96 haemodialysis patients at a single university-affiliated hospital and a subsequent 9-month prospective follow-up of 88 of the 96 patients.
Results: Levels of tHcy (median 30 micromol/l) were elevated. In the initial cross-sectional sample, there was an inverse relationship between tHcy and history of vascular access failure which was not observed in the prospective study. Variables influencing the risk of vascular access failure in the prospective study included history of previous vascular access failure (RR=2.93, P=0.03), use of antiplatelet agents (RR=0.13, P=0.01), increased urea reduction ratio (RR=0.55 for a 5% increase, P=0.01) and increased weight (RR=0.61 for a 10 kg increase, P=0.02). Secondary analysis showed an unexpected inverse relationship between tHcy and mortality (RR=0.033 for 1 log increase in tHcy, P=0.006), such that the lower levels of tHcy were associated with an increased risk of death in short-term follow-up.
Conclusion: We did not demonstrate a relationship between tHcy and risk of vascular access failure. Patients with the lowest levels of tHcy appeared to be at increased risk of death in this short-term follow-up. The relationship of tHcy to vascular access complications and death in haemodialysis patients appears complex and requires further study.