The relative strength of C-reactive protein and lipid levels as determinants of ischemic stroke compared with coronary heart disease in women.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the relative strength of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and lipid levels as markers for future ischemic stroke compared with coronary heart disease (CHD) in women.

BACKGROUND: Although hs-CRP and lipid levels are established risk determinants for vascular disease, the relative strength of these biomarkers for ischemic stroke compared with CHD is uncertain.

METHODS: Among 15,632 initially healthy women who were followed for a 10-year period, we compared hs-CRP, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoproteins A-I and B100, and lipid ratios as determinants of ischemic stroke compared with CHD.

RESULTS: After adjustment for age, smoking status, blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the third versus the first tertile for future ischemic stroke compared with CHD were, respectively, 1.91 (95% CI 1.13 to 3.21) and 2.26 (95% CI 1.64 to 3.12) for TC, 1.29 (95% CI 0.83 to 2.02) and 2.09 (95% CI 1.53 to 2.85) for LDL-C, 0.57 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.92) and 0.38 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.52) for HDL-C, 1.72 (95% CI 1.03 to 2.86) and 2.93 (95% CI 2.04 to 4.21) for non-HDL-C, and 2.76 (95% CI 1.51 to 5.05) and 1.66 (95% CI 1.17 to 2.34) for hs-CRP. Of the lipid ratios, that of TC to HDL-C had the largest HR for both future ischemic stroke and CHD (HR 1.95 [95% CI 1.16 to 3.26] and 4.20 [95% CI 2.79 to 6.32], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: In this large prospective cohort of initially healthy women, lipid levels are significant risk determinants for ischemic stroke, but with a magnitude of effect smaller than that observed for CHD. High-sensitivity CRP associates more closely with ischemic stroke than with CHD. Concomitant evaluation of lipid levels and hs-CRP may improve risk assessment for stroke as well as CHD. (The Women's Health Study; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00000479/; NCT00000479).