The asymmetric dimethylarginine level is associated with the predicted stroke risk in japanese women

Abstract

Aim: Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) has recently been investigated as a risk marker for cardio-and cerebrovascular diseases. However, it is not currently known whether the ADMA levels are related to the risk of stroke in Japanese women. Methods: We examined 192 Japanese women (mean age, 55±9 years, range, 40-80 years) who underwent health examinations. The ADMA level and various vascular risk factors of each subject were assessed, and the predicted 10-year stroke risk was calculated using the point-based prediction model provided by the Japan Public Health Center study. Results: In a correlation coefficient analysis, age was found to be the only factor significantly correlated with the ADMA level. A significant odds ratio (OR) for a high predicted stroke risk (10-year risk, ≥5%) was noted in the highest ADMA level tertile (6.24; 95% CI, 1.13-34.5; p=0.036) compared with the lowest tertile, after adjusting for potential confounding factors. A significant OR for a high predicted stroke risk was also found for each increment in the ADMA tertile and standard deviation (adjusted OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.09-5.34; p=0.029; and 2.51; 95% CI, 1.24-5.11; p=0.011, respectively). Conclusions: An elevated ADMA level is significantly associated with an increased predicted stroke risk, suggesting that measuring the ADMA level is useful for identifying Japanese women with an elevated stroke risk.