Abstract: Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate homocysteine (Hcy) serum levels in women with systemic sclerosis (SSc) compared with healthy controls and to examine possible asso¬ciations between Hcy and markers of arterial stiffness. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at a single hospital between November 2017 and May 2019: 62 women with SSc and 62 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was meas¬ured non-invasively along the carotid-femoral arterial segment. Serum Hcy was analysed using immunonephelo¬metric method. Results: There was a significant dif¬ference in Hcy serum levels between SSc female patients and healthy con¬trols (11.9±3.3 vs. 10.3±2.3 ?mol/ml, p=0.002). Serum levels of Hcy were positively correlated with PWV (r=0.28, p<0.05), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) (r=0.36, p<0.05) and disease duration (r=0.38, p<0.05), within the SSc group. In addition, in the linear regression model, higher Hcy concentrations were associated with higher PWV [?=0.74 95% CI (0.085, 1.394); p=0.027], BNP [?=0.04 95% CI (0.014, 0.072); p=0.004] and disease duration [?=0.18 95% CI (0.070, 0.300); p=0.002]. In multiple linear regression model adjust¬ing for covariants, Hcy remained posi¬tively related to the PWV [?=0.033 95% CI (0.003, 0.062); p=0.031]. Conclusion: Our findings revealed a positive correlation between Hcy se¬rum levels and PWV, which indicates that high levels of Hcy may predispose to the development of vascular stiffness in patients with SSc.

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