Abstract
Summary
Background: Homocysteine (Hcy) are associated with many age-related diseases. Heterogeneous physiology with aging combined with unresolved assays standardization necessitates the establishment of specific Hcy reference intervals (RIs) applicable to the elderly. This retrospective study aimed to identify Hcy RIs in the elderly aged 60 years and older from a hospital in Jiangsu Province, China.
Methods: Data from individuals undergoing routine physical examinations were collected. Hcy were measured on Hitachi 7600 analyzer using enzymatic cycling method. Outliers were identified by Dixon methods. Age- and gender-specific differences were estimated by nonparametric tests. Factors affected Hcy were assessed using multivariate linear regression. RIs with 90% confidence intervals were determined by nonparametric method.
Results: A total of 2594 individuals were included. Hcy levels increased with age(r=0.248, p<0.001). Males have consistently higher Hcy levels(median (interquartile range):11.95 (8.89-15.30)μmol/L) than females(9.65 (7.05-12.69)μmol/L; p＜0.001).Multivariate adjustment analysis showed correlations between Hcy and gender (β=0.188, p<0.001), age (β=0.427, p<0.001) were significant. The Hcy RIs were 5.10-25.46μmol/Lformales,and4.14-18.91μmol/L for females, respectively.
Conclusions: This study identified age- and gender-specific Hcy RIs in the elderly, which may guide clinicians in interpreting laboratory findings and clinical management.
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