title: Asymmetric dimethylarginine is related to the predicted stroke risk in middle-aged Japanese men.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) has recently been investigated as a risk marker for cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. However, whether ADMA levels are related to the risk of stroke in the Japanese general population remains unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 769 Japanese men (mean age, 47 ± 5 years) undergoing health examinations. Each subject's ADMA level and various vascular risk factors were assessed; the predicted 10-year stroke risk was calculated using the point-based prediction model from the Japan Public Health Center Study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a multiple linear regression analysis, age, body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and current smoking status were significant independent determinants of ADMA levels. A significant odds ratio (OR) for high predicted stroke risk (10-year risk ≥ 5%)was noted in the highest quartile of ADMA levels (OR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.002-6.07), compared with the lowest quartile, after adjusting for potential confounding factors. A significant OR for high predicted stroke risk was also found for each standard deviation increment in ADMA level (adjusted OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.10-1.92).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated ADMA levels were significantly associated with an increased predicted stroke risk, suggesting that measuring ADMA levels may be useful for identifying middle-aged Japanese men with a high risk of stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: nomo16@nms.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Otsuka
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inagaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kanako
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muraga
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Arata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawada
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katayama
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine
keywords: Cross-sectional study; Dimethylarginine; Japanese middle-aged men; Male; Risk factors; Stroke