Association between hostility and plasma total homocysteine concentrations in a general population sample

OBJECTIVE: The present study focuses on testing the association of hostility with plasma homocysteine levels in a general population sample. METHOD: Four hundred and ten healthy adults (200 men and 210 women), participating in a health survey in Greece, had blood samples taken for homocysteine concentrations and also completed a multidimensional hostility questionnaire, assessing direction of hostility ('extra- and intropunitive') as well as total hostility and its ingredients, i.e. urge to act out hostility, criticism of others, delusional hostility, self-criticism and delusional guilt. Multivariate relationship was tested between hostility components and homocysteine, after statistically controlling for potential confounders such as age, gender, educational status, smoking and body mass index. RESULTS: Total hostility, delusional guilt as well as extrapunitive direction of hostility were positively related to homocysteine levels. Self-criticism was negatively related to homocysteine. CONCLUSION: The study provides further evidence that particular dimensions of hostility are associated with increased plasma homocysteine levels, thus deserving a place within the spectrum of the coronary heart disease risk factors.