Low ADAMTS13 activity is associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke

ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin motif repeats 13) has antithrombotic properties because it cleaves von Willebrand factor (VWF) in smaller, less active multimers. The aim of our study was to investigate prospectively the association between ADAMTS13 activity and ischemic stroke. We included 5941 individuals ≥55 years without a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) of the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort study. ADAMTS13 activity was measured at inclusion with the FRETS-VWF73 assay and VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We assessed the association among ADAMTS13 activity, VWF:Ag levels, and ischemic stroke by Cox proportional hazard analysis. The added value of ADAMTS13 activity above the traditional risk factors for ischemic stroke risk prediction was examined by the C-statistic and the net reclassification improvement index (NRI). All individuals were followed for incident stroke or TIA. Over a median follow-up time of 10.7 years (56,403 total person-years), 461 participants had a stroke, 306 of which were ischemic. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, individuals with ADAMTS13 activity in the lowest quartile had a higher risk of ischemic stroke (absolute risk, 7.3%) than did those in the reference highest quartile (absolute risk, 3.8%; hazard ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-2.32). Adding ADAMTS13 to the model in prediction of ischemic stroke, increased the C-statistic by 0.013 (P = .003) and provided 0.058 (95% CI, -0.002 to 0.119) NRI. Low ADAMTS13 activity is associated with the risk of ischemic stroke and improves the accuracy of risk predictions for ischemic stroke beyond traditional risk factors.