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.