Epidemiological Patterns of Ischemic Stroke in Migrant Workers and Local Residents: A Cross-Sectional Study in the...

There is an increasing concern on the risks of cardiovascular diseases in migrant workers in China. In the Zhoushan Archipelago, an urbanized area comprising 103 inhabited islands, migrant workers represent a growing population at risk of ischemic stroke, while the clinical characteristics of migrant workers with stroke remain understudied. This study aimed to identify the clinical characteristics of ischemic stroke in migrant workers compared with local residents in the Zhoushan Archipelago.

A total of 1,006 patients with ischemic stroke were included (452 migrant workers and 554 local residents). Clinical and radiological data were collected and compared between groups. Continuous and categorical variables were compared using t tests (or non-parametric tests) and chi-square tests, respectively. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to investigate differences between groups. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05.

In these patients, compared with local residents, migrant workers had a higher body mass index but lower rates of diabetes and atrial fibrillation and lower levels of lymphocyte, uric acid, folate, and vitamin B12, with higher ratios of overweight and obese cases (p < 0.05 for all). There was no significant difference between the two groups in etiological classification of stroke. Regarding the ischemic regions, migrant workers showed a higher incidence of basal ganglia infarctions (p < 0.05).

Ischemic stroke in migrant workers showed a distinct clinical profile compared with local residents, underscoring the need for targeted preventive healthcare interventions for migrant workers in an urbanized archipelago setting.