• Anxin Wang, Xue Tian, Xuewei Xie, Hao Li, Philip M Bath, Jing Jing, Jinxi Lin, Yilong Wang, Xingquan Zhao, Zixiao Li, Liping Liu, Yongjun Wang, and Xia Meng.
• Department of Neurology (A. Wang, Tian, Xie, H. Li, Jing, Lin, Yilong Wang, Zhao, Z. Li, Liu, Yongjun Wang, Meng), Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases (A. Wang, Tian, Xie, H. Li, Jing, Lin, Yilong Wang, Zhao, Z. Li, Liu, Yongjun Wang, Meng), Beijing, China; Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology (A. Wang), Beijing, China; Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics (Tian), School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Stroke Trials Unit, Mental Health and Clinical Neuroscience (Bath), University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection (Yongjun Wang), Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China wanganxin@bjtth.org mengxia45@163.com.
• CMAJ. 2024 Feb 11; 196 (5): E149E156E149-E156.

BackgroundElevated homocysteine levels are associated with increased blood coagulation and platelet activity and may modulate the response to antiplatelet therapies. We aimed to investigate the effects of homocysteine levels on the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor-acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) versus clopidogrel-ASA among patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attack who carried CYP2C19 loss-of-function alleles.MethodsWe conducted a post hoc analysis of the CHANCE-2 (The Clopidogrel in High-risk Patients with Acute Nondisabling Cerebrovascular Events-II) trial. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment with ticagrelor-ASA or clopidogrel-ASA. We categorized participants into groups with elevated and non-elevated homocysteine levels, based on the median level. The primary efficacy outcome was recurrent stroke within 90-day follow-up. The primary safety outcome was severe or moderate bleeding within 90 days.ResultsA total of 2740 participants were randomly assigned to receive ticagrelor-ASA and 2700 to receive clopidogrel-ASA. Use of ticagrelor-ASA was associated with a reduced risk of recurrent stroke among participants with elevated homocysteine levels (74 [5.3%] v. 119 [8.5%]; hazard ratio [HR] 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45-0.81), but not among those with non-elevated levels (86 [6.4%] v. 87 [6.7%]; HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.71-1.32; p = 0.04 for interaction). When analyzed as a continuous variable, the benefits of ticagrelor-ASA with regard to recurrent stroke increased as homocysteine levels increased (p = 0.04 for interaction). No significant interaction between homocysteine levels and treatment with regard to severe or moderate bleeding was observed (p = 0.7 for interaction). We found a significant interaction between homocysteine levels and therapy with regard to recurrent stroke in females (p = 0.04 for interaction) but not males.InterpretationIn comparison with clopidogrel-ASA, ticagrelor-ASA conferred more benefit to patients with elevated homocysteine levels, particularly to female patients, in this secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial involving patients with minor ischemic stroke or TIA.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, no. NCT04078737.© 2024 CMA Impact Inc. or its licensors.

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