Evidence mapPaperPMID 19628319Full record

Trial reportAmerican journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation2009

Homocysteine lowering and cognition in CKD: the Veterans Affairs homocysteine study.

Christopher B Brady, J Michael Gaziano, Roberta A Cxypoliski, Peter D Guarino, James S Kaufman, Stuart R Warren, Pamela Hartigan, David S Goldfarb, Rex L Jamison

Abstract readComparative StudyMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
4.9field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

38 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Interventions for lowering plasma homocysteine levels in dialysis patients.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016
    Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. Pooled it
  10. Trial
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Uremic Toxins, CKD, and Cognitive Dysfunction.Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN · 2025
    Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Cognitive disorders in patients with chronic kidney disease: specificities of clinical assessment.Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association · 2021
    Review
  18. Mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in CKD.Nature reviews. Nephrology · 2020
    Review
  19. Review
  20. Chronic kidney disease in the pathogenesis of acute ischemic stroke.Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism · 2019
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Christopher B BradyGeriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. cbbrady@bu.edu
J Michael Gaziano
Roberta A Cxypoliski
Peter D Guarino
James S Kaufman
Stuart R Warren
Pamela Hartigan
David S Goldfarb
Rex L Jamison
VA Boston Healthcare System · USVA Connecticut Healthcare System · USBoston University · USNew Mexico VA Health Care System · USStanford University · USVA NY Harbor Healthcare System · US

Funding

Kidney Disease, Homocysteinemia, and CognitionR21DK071292 · BOSTON VA RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC. · 2005 to 2005
$176k
NIDDK NIH HHS R21 DK071292
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIndividuals with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have high plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) levels, which may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment. Whether treatment with high-dose B vitamins to decrease high tHcy levels improves cognition in persons with kidney disease is unknown. STUDY

designRandomized controlled trial. SETTING &

participantsA substudy of 659 patients (mean age, 67.3 +/- 11.7 years) who participated in a randomized double-blind clinical trial 5 years in duration conducted in 36 US Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers of the effect on all-cause mortality of vitamin-induced lowering of plasma tHcy level. 236 (35.8%) were treated by using dialysis (ESRD) and 423 (64.2%) had a Cockcroft-Gault estimated creatinine clearance of 30 mL/min or less (advanced CKD). All had high tHcy levels (> or =15 micromol/L) at baseline. Cognitive assessments began during the follow-up period of the main trial 3 years after treatment began; participants subsequently were retested 1 year later to assess cognitive change.

interventionDaily high-dose B vitamin capsule (40 mg of folic acid, 100 mg of vitamin B(6), and 2 mg of vitamin B(12)) or placebo. OUTCOMES: Cognitive function at initial assessment and 1 year later. MEASUREMENTS: Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status-modified, supplemented with attention, working memory, and executive function tests.

resultsInitial cognitive function was impaired in approximately 19% of patients regardless of treatment assignment (vitamin or placebo) or kidney disease status (advanced CKD or ESRD). Treatment decreased tHcy levels by 26.7%. Unadjusted and adjusted analyses showed that treatment did not improve initial cognitive outcomes or affect subsequent cognitive status 1 year later. LIMITATIONS: Cognitive assessments began after treatment was initiated; cognitive assessment was limited.

conclusionTreatment with high daily doses of B vitamins, which decreased tHcy levels, did not affect cognitive outcomes in patients with advanced CKD and ESRD.

Indexed as

United States Department of Veterans AffairsAgedAge FactorsCognitionCognition DisordersDouble-Blind MethodFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHomocysteineHumansKidney Failure, ChronicMaleMiddle AgedRisk FactorsUnited StatesVitamin B ComplexHomocysteineVitamin B Complex

Identifiers

PMID19628319
PMCPMC2748786
OpenAlexW2087146407

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.