Homocysteine as a risk factor for hypertension: a 2-year follow-up study.

Homocysteine (Hcy) is regarded as a risk factor for hypertension, but research on the causal relationship between Hcy and hypertension is limited. In the present study, we prospectively tracked the blood pressure progression of a normotensive population with different Hcy levels over a 2-year period. The incidence of hypertension with increasing Hcy quartiles produced an approximately U-shaped curve, with significance in males. Compared with the third quartile, the risk of hypertension in the first and second quartiles was increased by 1.55 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.154-2.081) fold and 1.501 (95% CI 1.119-2.013) fold, respectively, with the increase being more significant in males. In conclusion, Hcy is related to hypertension incidence with the results approximating an U-shaped curve. Low Hcy levels might also increase the risk of hypertension.