title: Obesity increases risk of ischemic stroke in young adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Body mass index has been associated with ischemic stroke in older populations, but its association with stroke in younger populations is not known. In light of the current obesity epidemic in the United States, the potential impact of obesity on stroke risk in young adults deserves attention.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based case-control study design with 1201 cases and 1154 controls was used to investigate the relationship of obesity and young onset ischemic stroke. Stroke cases were between the ages of 15 and 49 years. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between body mass index and ischemic stroke with and without adjustment for comorbid conditions associated with stroke.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In analyses adjusted for age, sex, and ethnicity, obesity (body mass index >30 kg/m(2)) was associated with an increased stroke risk (odds ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-1.94) although this increased risk was highly attenuated and not statistically significant after adjustment for smoking, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that obesity is a risk factor for young onset ischemic stroke and suggest that this association may be partially mediated through hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or other variables associated with these conditions.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neurology (A.B.M., J.W.C., M.J.S., S.J.K.) and Medicine (P.F.M., Y.-C.C., K.A.R., B.D.M.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; and Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Affairs Medical Center Baltimore, MD (J.W.C., Y.-C.C., S.J.K.).
authors.forename: Andrew B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neurology (A.B.M., J.W.C., M.J.S., S.J.K.) and Medicine (P.F.M., Y.-C.C., K.A.R., B.D.M.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; and Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Affairs Medical Center Baltimore, MD (J.W.C., Y.-C.C., S.J.K.).
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neurology (A.B.M., J.W.C., M.J.S., S.J.K.) and Medicine (P.F.M., Y.-C.C., K.A.R., B.D.M.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; and Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Affairs Medical Center Baltimore, MD (J.W.C., Y.-C.C., S.J.K.).
authors.forename: Patrick F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: McArdle
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neurology (A.B.M., J.W.C., M.J.S., S.J.K.) and Medicine (P.F.M., Y.-C.C., K.A.R., B.D.M.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; and Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Affairs Medical Center Baltimore, MD (J.W.C., Y.-C.C., S.J.K.).
authors.forename: Yu-Ching
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neurology (A.B.M., J.W.C., M.J.S., S.J.K.) and Medicine (P.F.M., Y.-C.C., K.A.R., B.D.M.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; and Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Affairs Medical Center Baltimore, MD (J.W.C., Y.-C.C., S.J.K.).
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neurology (A.B.M., J.W.C., M.J.S., S.J.K.) and Medicine (P.F.M., Y.-C.C., K.A.R., B.D.M.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; and Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Affairs Medical Center Baltimore, MD (J.W.C., Y.-C.C., S.J.K.).
authors.forename: Mary J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sparks
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neurology (A.B.M., J.W.C., M.J.S., S.J.K.) and Medicine (P.F.M., Y.-C.C., K.A.R., B.D.M.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; and Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Affairs Medical Center Baltimore, MD (J.W.C., Y.-C.C., S.J.K.).
authors.forename: Braxton D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Neurology (A.B.M., J.W.C., M.J.S., S.J.K.) and Medicine (P.F.M., Y.-C.C., K.A.R., B.D.M.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; and Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Affairs Medical Center Baltimore, MD (J.W.C., Y.-C.C., S.J.K.). SKittner@som.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kittner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: obesity; stroke; young adult