High pulse pressure is associated with increased risk of stroke in Japanese: the JMS Cohort Study.
BACKGROUND
The relationship between pulse pressure (PP) and stroke has been described in populations outside Japan. Here, we investigated the relationship between PP and stroke incidence in Japan.


METHODS
Study subjects were 11,097 people (4315 men and 6782 women) in 12 rural areas of Japan enrolled in the Jichi Medical School Cohort Study, a population-based prospective study. The subjects were divided into quintiles of PP. Baseline data were obtained by questionnaire and health checkups between April 1992 and July 1995, and the incidence of all strokes and stroke subtypes was monitored.


RESULTS
A total of 412 strokes were observed during a mean follow-up period of 10.7 years. After adjusting for age, smoking status, drinking status, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, body mass index and diabetes mellitus, hazard ratios [HRs] in the second to fifth quintiles of PP for all strokes were 1.06 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69-1.64), 1.53 (CI 1.02-2.28), 2.02 (CI 1.38-2.96) and 2.22 (CI 1.53-3.20) compared with the first quintile using Cox's proportional hazard model, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest high PP is at an increased risk of stroke.
Baba
Yosuke
Y
Haga Red Cross Hospital, 2461 Dai-machi, Moka, Tochigi, Japan. ybabati@jichi.ac.jp
Ishikawa
Shizukiyo
S
Kayaba
Kazunori
K
Gotoh
Tadao
T
Kajii
Eiji
E
D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*
D008074:Lipoproteins; D002784:Cholesterol