The Association of Homocysteine with Placenta-Mediated Pregnancy Complications
Abstract
Background: Preeclampsia, small for gestational age (SGA), placental abruption, and fetal death are pregnancy complications linked to the utero-placental vasculature with serious consequences for maternal and infant well-being. Elevated homocysteine, a marker of cardiovascular disease risk, is postulated to play a role in placenta-mediated complications, but epidemiologic studies have reported inconsistent findings. The two primary objectives of this thesis were to 1: comprehensively investigate the association of homocysteine with placenta-mediated complications and examine modifying effects of pre-specified factors on this association, and 2: comprehensively investigate determinants of maternal homocysteine during pregnancy. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies was conducted to address thesis objective 1. The Ottawa and Kingston (OaK) Birth Cohort, a prospective cohort study that recruited pregnant women between 2002 and 2009, was used to address thesis objectives 1 and 2. Homocysteine concentration was measured between 12 and 20 weeks gestation. Analyses based on the OaK Birth Cohort consisted of multivariable regressions using restricted cubic splines to model associations with continuously distributed variables. Results: Objective 1: In an analysis of 7587 participants, a significant association between homocysteine concentration and a composite outcome of any placenta-mediated complication was observed (odds ratio (OR) for a 5 µmol/L…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case-control, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 7,587 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Metabolic Syndrome: Updates on Pathophysiology and Management in 2021
- Environmental pollutants as risk factors for neurodegenerative disorders: Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases
- Antioxidants, inflammation and cardiovascular disease
- Application of Metabolomics in Alzheimer’s Disease
- Nutritional Importance of Carotenoids and Their Effect on Liver Health: A Review
- Nutritional essentiality of sulfur in health and disease
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.