Age on the Association of Risk Factors and Stroke

An international case–control study suggested that vascular risk factors influence stroke risk differently across age groups. The study enrolled age- and sex-matched cases of the first acute stroke and controls across 32 countries between Jan 11, 2007, and Aug 8, 2015. Participants underwent clinical assessments and provided blood and urine samples within 72 hours of recruitment. Among the 26,950 participants, the mean age was 62.2 years for cases and 61.3 years for controls. The analysis revealed that increasing age was significantly associated with higher prevalence of seven vascular risk factors (hypertension, physical inactivity, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, high waist-to-hip ratio, high apolipoprotein B, and obesity), lower prevalence of four factors (smoking, alcohol use, psychosocial stress, and unhealthy diet), and no change in the prevalence of depression. Additionally, the strength of association (odds ratios) between certain risk factors and stroke declined with age for hypertension, high apolipoprotein B, high waist-to-hip ratio, alcohol use, and psychosocial stress. No risk factor showed a stronger association with stroke in older age. Hypertension, high waist-to-hip ratio, and physical inactivity contributed the most to stroke risk across all age groups. These findings underscore the need for age-specific strategies in risk factor screening and prevention. The absolute burden of stroke is rising globally due to both population ageing and a growing incidence of stroke among young adults. Source: https://www.thelancet.com/