Elevated blood malondialdehyde level contributed to a high stroke risk in a Chinese elderly population from rural areas: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Individuals living in rural areas have a higher incidence rate of stroke than their urban counterparts in China. However, few studies have investigated the association between blood malondialdehyde (MDA), an end product of lipid oxidation caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS), and stroke risk in rural populations. We aimed to investigate whether blood MDA levels contribute to a higher stroke risk in a Chinese elderly population from rural areas. Data from 2011 to 2012 from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), a national cohort of older adults in China, were analyzed. Smooth curve and multivariable correction analyses were used to evaluate the association between blood MDA levels and stroke risk in elderly populations from rural and urban areas, respectively. The median age of all included participants (N = 1598) was 84.04 years. The results of the smooth curve model revealed a gradual upward trend in the association of blood MDA levels with stroke risk in rural participants but not in urban participants. Similarly, the conditional logistic regression analysis suggested a significant association between MDA levels and stroke risk in rural participants but not in urban participants after adjustments for related confounding factors (age, sex, current smoker, current drinker, regular exercise, BMI and cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, heart disease, atrial fibrillation and diabetes)) were made. In brief, among the elderly population in China, elevated blood MDA levels were associated with increased stroke risk in rural participants but not in urban participants.