Association of hyperhomocysteinemia and chronic kidney disease in the general population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence shows that an elevated homocysteine(Hcy) level is associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study systematically evaluated the correlation between homocysteine level and the incidence of CKD reported in cohort and cross-sectional studies. METHODS: We searched electronic databases and reference lists for relevant articles. 4 cohort studies and 7 cross-sectional studies including 79,416 patients were analyzed in a meta-analysis. Hyperhomocysteinemia was defined as a Hcy level > 15 µmol/L, which was the criterium used in previous studies. Meta-analyses were conducted of literature searches from online databases such as PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Scopus. Computed pooled adjusted odds ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used to estimate the risk of new-onset CKD according to Hcy levels in the general population. RESULTS: People with high Hcy levels were more likely to suffer from CKD than people with normal Hcy levels (pooled OR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.72–2.55). This positive relationship persisted across different study types such as cohort studies (summary OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.55–3.13) and cross-sectional studies (summary OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.63–2.63). CONCLUSIONS: People with hyperhomocysteinemia have a higher incidence of CKD, Hyperhomocysteinemia may also be an independent risk factor for CKD in the general population. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12882-023-03295-y.