Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population in total and according to homocysteine quartiles
| Variables | Total | Quartiles of Homocysteine | P value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (<5.1) | Q2 (5.1 to <7.1) | Q3 (7.1 to <9.9) | Q4 (≥9.9) | |||
| N | 7203 | 1876 | 1815 | 1697 | 1815 | |
| Homocysteine (μmol/L)a | 7.0 (5.0, 9.9) | 4.0 (3.9, 5.0) | 6.0 (5.9, 7.0)# | 8.3 (7.9, 9.0)# | 12.3 (10.8, 14.9)# | <0.001 |
| Age (years)a | 49.0 (40.0, 59.0) | 46.0 (38.0, 52.0) | 49.0 (40.0, 57.0)# | 48.0 (39.0, 58.0)# | 53.0 (42.0, 70.0)# | <0.001 |
| Male, % | 3801 (52.8) | 477 (25.4) | 794 (43.7)# | 1024 (60.3)# | 1506 (83.0)# | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 24.1 ± 3.3 | 23.6 ± 3.2 | 24.0 ± 3.2# | 24.2 ± 3.2# | 24.7 ± 3.3# | <0.001 |
| Current smoker, % | 1698 (24.0) | 284 (15.5) | 364 (20.6)# | 439 (26.2)# | 611 (33.9)# | <0.001 |
| Physical activity | <0.001 | |||||
| Inactive, % | 3590 (53.6) | 991 (58.7) | 888 (54.0) | 898 (55.6) | 813 (46.4) | |
| Moderate, % | 1769 (26.4) | 461 (27.3) | 472 (28.7) | 408 (25.2) | 428 (24.4) | |
| Active, % | 1342 (20.0) | 235 (13.9) | 284 (17.3) | 310 (19.2) | 513 (29.2) | |
| Education | <0.001 | |||||
| Illiteracy/Primary, % | 282 (4.1) | 74 (4.2) | 62 (3.6) | 72 (4.4) | 74 (4.2) | |
| Middle school, % | 2234 (32.5) | 683 (38.3) | 612 (35.8) | 479 (29.4) | 460 (26.2) | |
| College or higher, % | 4361 (63.4) | 1026 (57.5) | 1035 (60.6) | 1081 (66.2) | 1219 (69.5) | |
| Drinking, % | 1459 (20.3) | 252 (13.4) | 276 (15.2) | 412 (24.3)# | 519 (28.6)# | <0.001 |
| Hypertension, % | 2144 (30. 0) | 342 (18.4) | 485 (27.0)# | 507 (30.1)# | 810 (45.0)# | <0.001 |
| Diabetes, % | 543 (7.5) | 115 (6.1) | 132 (7.3) | 127 (7.5) | 169 (9.3)# | 0.002 |
| ALT (U/L)a | 21.0 (15.0, 30.0) | 18.0 (14.0, 26.0) | 20.0 (15.0, 29.0)# | 22.0 (17.0, 33.0)# | 23.0 (17.0, 33.0)# | <0.001 |
| TBIL (μmol/L)a | 14.8 (12.1, 18.3) | 14.1 (11.6, 17.1) | 14.7 (11.9, 18.2)# | 15.1 (12.3, 18.8)# | 15.6 (12.5, 19.1)# | <0.001 |
| ALB (g/L) | 46.5 ± 2.6 | 46.2 ± 2.5 | 46.6 ± 2.5# | 46.8 ± 2.6# | 46.5 ± 2.8# | <0.001 |
| PLT (109/L) | 213.1 ± 55.0 | 218.2 ± 55.0 | 215.8 ± 55.5 | 215.5 ± 56.7 | 202.9 ± 51.6# | <0.001 |
| Uric acid (μmol/L) | 297.7 ± 92.2 | 263.8 ± 84.5 | 289.6 ± 91.9# | 300.5 ± 86.0# | 338.3 ± 90.0# | <0.001 |
| TG (mmol/L)a | 1.3 (0.9, 1.9) | 1.2 (0.8, 1.7) | 1.3 (0.9, 1.8)# | 1.3 (0.9, 2.0)# | 1.4 (1.0, 2.0)# | <0.001 |
| TC (mmol/L) | 5.2 ± 1.0 | 5.1 ± 1.0 | 5.2 ± 1.0# | 5.2 ± 1.0# | 5.1 ± 1.0 | 0.001 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | 1.6 ± 0.4 | 1.7 ± 0.4 | 1.6 ± 0.4# | 1.6 ± 0.4# | 1.5 ± 0.4# | <0.001 |
| hs-CRP (mg/L)a | 1.1 (0.6, 1.9) | 0.9 (0.5, 1.7) | 1.1 (0.6, 2.0)# | 1.1 (0.6, 2.0)# | 1.2 (0.7, 2.1)# | <0.001 |
| Creatinine (μmol/L) | 67.2 ± 22.0 | 57.4 ± 12.2 | 64.6 ± 18.9# | 67.9 ± 15.0# | 79.4 ± 30.7# | <0.001 |
| Prevalence of NAFLD, % | 2370 (32.9) | 372 (19.8) | 513 (28.3)# | 640 (37.7)# | 845 (46.6)# | <0.001 |
Abbreviations: BMI body mass index, ALT alanine transaminase, TBIL total bilirubin, ALB albumin, PLT platelet count, TG triglyceride, TC total cholesterol, HDL-C high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hs-CRP high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
aVariables were log transformed before analysis
# P <0.05, in comparison with the reference group (quartile 1). P values were corrected by Bonferroni’s method due to multiple testing