Are there any studies that connect homocysteine and vascular access clotting?
A. Hyperhomocysteinemia is a well accepted thrombotic risk factor. According to a study in Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, “Elevated homocysteine levels confer a graded, independent risk for hemodialysis access thrombosis.” The authors of this study also concluded that every 1 µmol/L increase in homocysteine is associated with a 4% increase in the risk for access thrombosis. Other studies suggesting a relationship between homocysteine levels and access clotting. A study specifically designed to look at a relationship between homocysteine lowering and decreased vascular access clotting is underway.
