Joint effects of elevated homocysteine levels and low eGFR on post-stroke cognitive impairment

IntroductionThe correlation between serum homocysteine levels and post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) remains inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate whether serum homocysteine levels are independently associated with PSCI and to assess the effects of renal function on this relationship.Me...

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Main Authors: Chunyan Zhang, Xueqin Cao, Chen Liu, Pengfei Meng, Huizhong Gao, Bo Bai, Cunshui Xue
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Neurology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1611140/full
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author Chunyan Zhang
Xueqin Cao
Chen Liu
Pengfei Meng
Huizhong Gao
Bo Bai
Cunshui Xue
author_facet Chunyan Zhang
Xueqin Cao
Chen Liu
Pengfei Meng
Huizhong Gao
Bo Bai
Cunshui Xue
author_sort Chunyan Zhang
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionThe correlation between serum homocysteine levels and post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) remains inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate whether serum homocysteine levels are independently associated with PSCI and to assess the effects of renal function on this relationship.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted in 608 patients with ischemic stroke. Homocysteine levels were obtained from inpatient medical records, and global cognitive function status 1 month after discharge was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The relationship between homocysteine levels and PSCI was evaluated using univariate and multiple linear and logistic regression analyses.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 66.6 ± 4.1 years, with 48% being female. The median homocysteine level was 13.8 μmol/L (interquartile range [IQR], 11.3–17.3 μmol/L), and 39.3% of patients had total homocysteine levels above the cutoff of 15 μmol/L. After full adjustment, a stronger positive association between homocysteine levels and PSCI was observed in patients with low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), with significant interactions between eGFR and MMSE scores (P for interaction = 0.005) and between eGFR and MoCA scores (P for interaction = 0.001). Joint analyses indicated that the highest risk of PSCI was in patients with eGFR < 90 ml/min/1.73 m2 and homocysteine levels ≥15 μmol/L (odds ratios [ORs] were 2.50 [95% CI: 1.49, 4.18; p < 0.001] for MMSE and 13.53 [95% CI: 6.64, 27.56; p < 0.001] for MoCA in the fully adjusted model).ConclusionThese findings highlight the additive value of hyperhomocysteinemia and lower eGFR in predicting incident PSCI risk.
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spelling doaj-art-9a29c7aeb2f04ebc9ec5c40034dea8922025-08-20T03:18:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952025-08-011610.3389/fneur.2025.16111401611140Joint effects of elevated homocysteine levels and low eGFR on post-stroke cognitive impairmentChunyan Zhang0Xueqin Cao1Chen Liu2Pengfei Meng3Huizhong Gao4Bo Bai5Cunshui Xue6Department of Neurology, Second Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, Second Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, ChinaCollege of Basic Medical Sciences, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, Second Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, Second Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, Second Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, Second Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, ChinaIntroductionThe correlation between serum homocysteine levels and post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) remains inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate whether serum homocysteine levels are independently associated with PSCI and to assess the effects of renal function on this relationship.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted in 608 patients with ischemic stroke. Homocysteine levels were obtained from inpatient medical records, and global cognitive function status 1 month after discharge was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The relationship between homocysteine levels and PSCI was evaluated using univariate and multiple linear and logistic regression analyses.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 66.6 ± 4.1 years, with 48% being female. The median homocysteine level was 13.8 μmol/L (interquartile range [IQR], 11.3–17.3 μmol/L), and 39.3% of patients had total homocysteine levels above the cutoff of 15 μmol/L. After full adjustment, a stronger positive association between homocysteine levels and PSCI was observed in patients with low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), with significant interactions between eGFR and MMSE scores (P for interaction = 0.005) and between eGFR and MoCA scores (P for interaction = 0.001). Joint analyses indicated that the highest risk of PSCI was in patients with eGFR < 90 ml/min/1.73 m2 and homocysteine levels ≥15 μmol/L (odds ratios [ORs] were 2.50 [95% CI: 1.49, 4.18; p < 0.001] for MMSE and 13.53 [95% CI: 6.64, 27.56; p < 0.001] for MoCA in the fully adjusted model).ConclusionThese findings highlight the additive value of hyperhomocysteinemia and lower eGFR in predicting incident PSCI risk.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1611140/fullserum homocysteineestimated glomerular filtration ratepost-stroke cognitive impairmentacute ischemic strokeadult
spellingShingle Chunyan Zhang
Xueqin Cao
Chen Liu
Pengfei Meng
Huizhong Gao
Bo Bai
Cunshui Xue
Joint effects of elevated homocysteine levels and low eGFR on post-stroke cognitive impairment
Frontiers in Neurology
serum homocysteine
estimated glomerular filtration rate
post-stroke cognitive impairment
acute ischemic stroke
adult
title Joint effects of elevated homocysteine levels and low eGFR on post-stroke cognitive impairment
title_full Joint effects of elevated homocysteine levels and low eGFR on post-stroke cognitive impairment
title_fullStr Joint effects of elevated homocysteine levels and low eGFR on post-stroke cognitive impairment
title_full_unstemmed Joint effects of elevated homocysteine levels and low eGFR on post-stroke cognitive impairment
title_short Joint effects of elevated homocysteine levels and low eGFR on post-stroke cognitive impairment
title_sort joint effects of elevated homocysteine levels and low egfr on post stroke cognitive impairment
topic serum homocysteine
estimated glomerular filtration rate
post-stroke cognitive impairment
acute ischemic stroke
adult
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1611140/full
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