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Meta-analysis of hypertension as a risk factor of cerebrovascular disorders in Koreans
1Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Korea.
Insights
Hypertension significantly increases the risk of cerebrovascular disorders (CVD) in Koreans, particularly hemorrhagic CVD. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings on hypertension and stroke risk.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Neurology
Background:
- Hypertension is a major global health concern.
- Cerebrovascular disorders (CVD) represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality.
- Understanding risk factors for CVD in specific populations, like Koreans, is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate existing research on hypertension as a risk factor for CVD in the Korean population.
- To quantify the association between hypertension and overall, hemorrhagic, and ischemic CVD.
- To identify research gaps and suggest future study directions.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of Korean and English studies (1980-1997).
- Inclusion of nine epidemiologic studies with 2,271 CVD cases.
- Meta-analysis using common odds ratios (OR) with heterogeneity and sensitivity testing.
Main Results:
- Hypertension is a significant risk factor for overall CVD (OR: 4.10).
- The risk is notably higher for hemorrhagic CVD (OR: 6.56) compared to ischemic CVD (OR: 3.28).
- The association between hypertension and hemorrhagic CVD was statistically stronger than for overall or ischemic CVD.
Conclusions:
- Hypertension is a critical and potent risk factor for both overall and specific types of CVD in Koreans.
- Hemorrhagic CVD shows a particularly strong association with hypertension.
- Further prospective longitudinal studies are recommended due to limitations in the current evidence base.
Abstract:
This study was conducted to integrate the results of previous studies which evaluated hypertension as a risk factor for cerebrovascular disorders (CVD) in Koreans. We retrieved the Korean literature using a manual search and the English literature using the MEDLINE database concerning the relationship between hypertension and CVD in Koreans from 1980 to 1997. The overall effect size of hypertension as a risk factor of CVD was represented by common odds ratio (OR). Before the integration of each effect size, a heterogeneity test and a sensitivity test was conducted. The materials were nine published epidemiologic studies with a total of 2,271 cases of CVD. The common ORs (95% confidence interval) of overall CVD, hemorrhagic CVD and ischemic CVD associated with hypertension were 4.10 (3.56-4.71), 6.56 (4.92-8.80) and 3.28 (2.77-3.90), respectively. Thus, the common OR of hemorrhagic CVD associated with hypertension was significantly higher than that of overall or ischemic CVD. This suggests that hypertension is an important risk factor for overall CVD and its subtypes in Koreans. Due to the lack of reliable prospective studies, however, longitudinal study is required in this area.