Circulating Multiple Metals and Incident Stroke in Chinese Adults

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Epidemiology
• Toxicology

Background:

• Circulating metals reflect diverse environmental exposures.
• Metal exposure is a potential, understudied risk factor for stroke.
• Prospective data on multiple metal exposures and stroke incidence are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between plasma metal concentrations and incident stroke.
• To examine the relationship between multiple metal exposures and stroke risk in a prospective cohort.

Main Methods:

• Nested case-control study within the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort.
• 1304 incident stroke cases matched with controls based on age, sex, and sampling date.
• Analysis of 24 plasma metals using conditional logistic regression and elastic net models.

Main Results:

• Copper, molybdenum, and titanium associated with increased ischemic stroke risk (ORs 1.29-1.30).
• Rubidium and selenium associated with decreased hemorrhagic stroke risk (ORs 0.66-0.68).
• Predictive plasma metal scores linked to higher risks for both stroke types (ORs 1.37-1.53).

Conclusions:

• Plasma copper, molybdenum, and titanium are risk factors for ischemic stroke.
• Plasma rubidium and selenium may be protective against hemorrhagic stroke.
• Findings have public health implications for stroke prevention strategies.